As Time Goes By
by Save-Ted24
Summary: Jude Harrison knew Tommy Quincy was the one when she was 11 years old. He left, but came back years later, and though their feelings are known, it doesn't mean everything's perfect in Jommyland.
1. Prequel

**Summary: **Jude Harrison knew Tommy Quincy was the one when she was 11 years old. He left without a word but has found his way back years later. Jude is now turning 18 and Tommy is suddenly seeing something in Jude that he's never seen before.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters or songs from Instant Star, but I might have to take over soon if they don't get their act together and air season 4.

**Rating: **M for adult content.

**PART ONE: Prequel**

At age 11, Jude Harrison fell in love. Some people say that 11 years old is too young of an age to be truly in love, but Jude didn't believe all that crap. She knew the moment she met Thomas Quincy that there was something there that she couldn't even describe. Not like she intended to find out what that something was, considering he was five years older than her and not even available. Tommy was a very attractive and charming music enthusiast who also happened to belong to Jude's older sister, Sadie. That's right. Tommy was constantly in Jude's grasp but she could never make her move because of her watchful sister, and of course because of the fact that he was in high school and could never possibly have feelings for an 11 year-old girl. Sadie was beautiful enough that it made sense for the two of them to be together, but Jude knew that she and Tommy had a special connection that only belonged to them.

"Okay so for today, I'm giving you _The Bends_ by Radiohead, _Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone_ by Harvey Danger, and, what I personally consider the #1 "very best of…" album, _The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1_, obviously by Otis Redding." Tommy handed Jude the three CDs, thoughtfully displaying the cover of each. "Now, I expect you to listen carefully to each song, and a week from today the analysis will commence."

Jude contorted her face. "Tommy, just because I know more music than anyone else my age, it doesn't mean I know what commence means."

Tommy smiled at how innocent she was. "Sorry. By 'commence' I mean 'start' or 'begin'. You know, sometimes I forget we're not the same age."

"Well, duh. It's cuz I'm so cool!" Jude exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Is that what you think?" Within seconds Tommy grabbed Jude's small frame and started tickling her shamelessly. He knew all of her weak spots, and hit them just right, making it impossible for Jude to repress her laughter. As Jude was thrashing about on the couch, trying to get away from Tommy's grasp, Sadie walked in with her purse slung over her arm, clearly not amused.

Sadie rudely interjected. "Oh don't mind me. I'll just go to the football game by myself and look like a spinster so everyone can point and laugh at my wretched loneliness."

Tommy stopped tickling Jude in the middle of Sadie's dramatic speech and rolled his eyes, which Jude happened to catch out of the corner of her eye. "You're not gonna be a spinster. You're far too young to even be worried about something like that. Anyway, how about we both don't go to the game and just hang out here with Jude? I mean, you know I'm not into the whole football craze, yet you insist on dragging me there every Friday."

"That's because people expect us to be there, Tommy. If we don't go, people will question why and then rumors will fly about scandal or a break-up, and I will not have that." Sadie began to raise her voice as she made her last statement, which slightly terrified both Tommy and Jude. Tommy visibly sighed, which Jude assumed was a sigh of defeat. He got up and turned his head to look at Jude.

"I'll see you later, Princess. Don't forget to listen to those CD's and pick out some music that will be worth my while for our next visit." Tommy winked at Jude, and then took Sadie's hand as they both walked out the front door of the Harrison home. Jude already felt lonely without having Tommy on the couch, sitting next to her.

Of course that would be nothing in comparison to what she'd feel almost a year later. Throughout the year, Tommy and Sadie still dated, but every time he went over to Sadie's house, the majority of his visit would be spent hanging out and talking with the little firecracker that was Jude. Sadie quickly caught onto this notion and felt a twinge of jealousy at Jude and Tommy's secret bond, but brushed it off as an innocent friendship, seeing as how their age difference was more than a simple hindrance. About a month after Jude's 12th birthday—which was awesome solely because Tommy bought her a vinyl LP of The Who's classic rock opera _Tommy_ (in perfect condition!)—Jude was in her room organizing all of her CD's by the year of their release (starting with the earliest) when she faintly heard someone shouting, followed by an earth-shattering crash. Jude quietly snuck out of her room and sat on the top step of the stairs, staring at the arguing pair below.

"Sadie, don't be like this. It would just be for a year or two, and I'd write and visit as often as I could. And I'm not 'abandoning' you, I'm just looking out for myself for once. This is a golden opportunity for me, and I can't let it pass by." Tommy paused for a couple of seconds to see if Sadie had visibly started to calm down. "And throwing a lamp was a little uncalled for. Your mom will be more upset about it than I am at the current moment. Besides, you might wake up Jude." Jude shrank back in the shadows to make sure Tommy and Sadie couldn't see her from where she was sitting.

"Oh, and that would be so devastating, wouldn't it? Poor little Jude, all alone in this world without big strong Tom Quincy at her side, whose always seems to be ready to protect her from anything!" Sadie crossed her arms and looked away from Tommy.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tommy was confused about why she was involving Jude into this argument.

"It means you spend a hell of lot more time with her than you do with your own girlfriend! Who does that? No one I want to know, so why don't you just leave me and start dating my 12 year-old sister? I mean, I can just imagine how adorable it would be to see the two of you walking through the park, holding hands, and sharing intimate moments. And then you'll get arrested and I won't have to deal with your stupid ass anymore."

Tommy could feel the malice radiating off of Sadie. She should not have said those things about him and Jude, and it made him actually hate Sadie in this light. "Well, how about I just leave you, period!"

Sadie paused for a second wondering if she was really comfortably with him saying that. Ultimately, she was not going to let him win this fight. "Fine! Go! Go and be with your stupid boy band and don't even think about crawling back to me!"

"Like I would give it consideration. I hope you're happy with who you've become." Tommy started to walk out the front door but paused. "Tell Jude I'm sorry." And with that, he disappeared into the night. Jude sat on her lonely stair in silence, her eyes never leaving that pale blue door, thinking maybe he'll come back and say he was just kidding. But her eyes started to water from not blinking—or from the emotional shock Tommy had just put her in—and she decided to tear her eyes away from the scene of the crime and go to bed, hoping that tomorrow morning would be proof that tonight was just a really, really bad dream.


	2. Unexpected Reunion

**Part two: Unexpected Reunion**

The bad dream Jude thought she had, wasn't a dream at all. But the reality of it didn't sink in until a couple of weeks later.

And then it took years for Jude to convince herself that he wasn't coming back, although she always glanced at that front door with hope. Eventually Sadie got her own apartment and Jude decided to live with her, so she wouldn't be forced to stare at that ridiculous door anymore. Sadie never realized how much Tommy hurt Jude, because she hid her feelings pretty well. That was the one thing Jude got really good at. She used to be around Tommy so much that hiding the fact that she was pining for him on the inside became a regular occurrence.

Jude was now three weeks away from turning 18, and things were going pretty well for her. She had just recently been able to get Tommy out of her head, and moved on with her life. Just a few more months until Jude could graduate, and then she would go to a nearby community college afterwards, to make her mom happy. It was a Saturday afternoon, which consisted, for Jude, of the normal routine of checking off what vinyl records she recently bought and glancing at which ones she still needed to get. Sadie had called Jude 30 minutes ago, exclaiming about a surprise and refusing to give any hints as to what it was. Jude thought maybe Sadie had found a pair of shoes that she has been wanting for a while, which was commonly Sadie's cause for excitement. After busying herself for the next ten minutes with more music-related fanaticism, Jude heard the front door open, as well as Sadie's loud voice booming, "Jude, get you're butt down here, I have something to show you!"

Jude slowly rose to her feet and started trotting down the hall adding, "Sadie, you know I don't get as excited about a pair of shoes as you…" but stopped dead in her tracks without finishing her sentence. Her heartbeat was quickened faster than she had ever heard it before, and words refused to form because of who was standing a couple feet in front of her. Jude had waited for this day for almost six years, and now that Tommy was so close to her again, the one emotion she felt coursing inside of her was anger. Anger at the fact that he didn't call or write, but decided to show up unannounced six years later! But she didn't want Tommy to know she was feeling this way because then he would know how much she cared for him. _Stay cool, Harrison. Don't let him read you like an open book._ So instead, she smiled her award-winning smile and ecstatically cried, "Oh my god!" quickly running up to embrace him like her 12 year-old self would.

Tommy's thoughts, as Jude walked into sight, were far beyond what he thought they'd be. All he had to remember Jude by was an image of a little girl, so passionate about music and life. What was now standing in front of him was not a little girl, and he couldn't force his gaze to look at anything else besides her. Her long, blonde hair laid in waves along her face and shoulders. Her petite form was curvy and mesmerizing. Jude broke out into a grin, which was surprisingly seductive to Tommy, and came toward him, swiftly enveloping her small arms around his neck. Tommy reciprocated the action by clasping his arms behind her back, then slowly squeezing tighter, as if saying he never wanted to let her go.

He honestly did miss Jude more than anyone. She was like his best friend, and he couldn't have been happier to see her at that moment, even though other 'alarming' feelings were mixed in as well. Jude let go of Tommy and then studied his face for a couple of seconds before playfully hitting him in the stomach. "Where the hell have you been!" exclaimed Jude; not out of anger, but pure astonishment.

Tommy created more distance between them because the sweet, minty scent emanating off of her soft skin was making him uncomfortable. "Sorry, doll. Work had me busy. And then when I came back to town, your mom told me you guys got your own place, and I didn't feel like ruining the new situation you had for yourselves." He stared at her with a look that convinced Jude that he was truly sorry for not seeing her sooner.

"And by work, I suppose you mean the fabulous success of Boys Attack!" Jude said the name of the band with such exaggerated flair that Tommy could tell she was mocking him.

"Hey, laugh all you want, but my brief stint in the boy band got me where I want to be now, as well as paid me more than enough to purchase my baby."

"You bought a child? Aw, that's so cute. Look at you giving back to the community by adopting. Or did you do it because you found out you were sterile? Yikes! That's a bummer." Jude sarcastically blurted out. Tommy was surprised at her witty remarks.

"Your tongue has become a lot sharper since the last time I saw you, Harrison." Even Jude had to admit she was a little surprised at how calm and playful she was in front of him, considering she was still angry as hell. Again, hiding her true feelings was as natural as breathing for Jude. Tommy continued, "Anyway, the 'baby' I'm referring to is the sweet little number parked right outside."

Sadie finally felt it was her turn to speak. "You have to see his car, Jude. It's beyond beautiful." All three of them walked out the door and Jude noticed the blue viper parked in the street. She had to admit that it was kind of sexy.

Jude wanted to keep her sarcasm rolling. "And here I thought you were a station wagon kind of guy."

Tommy played along. "Well I was considering it. I mean, station wagon or viper; so hard to choose. In the end, I picked the viper because I knew the chicks would love to take a ride in it."

"Way to go, sugar daddy." Tommy laughed at Jude's comment and they all headed back into the house to order a pizza and catch up. Eventually, Jude had to ask, "So, how did you two happen to run into each other?"

Sadie swallowed her food before saying, "Oh, yeah! I completely forgot about that." She took a sip of her soda before continuing. "So, you know how I had that job interview this morning?"

"Yeah." Jude didn't really remember, because she doesn't listen to half of the things Sadie says to her, but she knew that if she didn't say yes, Sadie would spend 10 minutes conjuring up the exact moment she mentioned it to Jude. Frankly, Jude was not in the mood for that today.

"Well, it turns out the receptionist job I applied for happens to be the same place that Tommy recently accepted a position as a music producer. It's a record company called G-Major."

"You're a music producer, Quincy?" Jude was excited because she always knew this was something he'd be good at, and also because she knew that G-Major was only 15 minutes away. She tried to stop feeling so excited on the inside, because she was still was incredibly mad at him.

Tommy detected the happiness in Jude's voice. "Apparently the world has finally caught onto my excellent music abilities."

"And here I thought you used those abilities to swoon teenagers and shake your ass in front of a camera." Jude couldn't help but carry the conversation back to his boy band past.

Tommy just shook his head at Jude. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I?"

"Um…of course not! I mean, you, of all people, in a trendy boy band? You're the one person who showed me how to appreciate music for its subtle and unique qualities. I will admit that I listened to a Boys Attack! CD, Tommy, and…I really tried to look for subtlety, but sadly could not find it. But I did find deep and powerful songs about heartbreak and 'picking up the pieces'." Jude was starting to enjoy herself a little too much.

Tommy sighed. "Okay, I can take a hit. But pretty soon you're gonna get tired of making fun of me, and I won't have to be reminded about my past constantly."

"Oh, Tommy, how could anyone be tired of making fun of YOU. You're the perfect target." Jude and Tommy stared at each other, she giggled slightly to avoid the butterflies in her stomach.

"Wow, all of a sudden this topic is really beginning to get old." Sadie chose to interject since she finished her pizza and had nothing better to do currently.

Tommy was thankful for it. "You're right. New topic. What have you been up to Jude? You're…what…a senior in high school?"

Jude hated talking about herself, for fear of confessing something she didn't want to, so she tried to keep it as basic as possible. "Yep, only four more months to go and I will be done with that hell hole."

"Jude."

"What? Sadie, it's not like you loved the 'scholastic' part of school either. You survived because people fawned over you and you loved the attention. I'm barely making it out alive, but at least I have a couple of great friends to give me that extra push I need." Jude hoped Tommy wasn't going to question why she was having trouble in school.

Sadie stepped in. "And you have your band." Jude mentally slapped herself. _Oh, crap. Why did she have to say that?_

Tommy sat up straight and looked at Jude. "What band?"

Jude could tell Tommy was already interested in this subject. "Oh it's nothing, really. Just a side project a couple of my friends and I have delved into. It's small and…um, unimportant."

"Well, I'll have to hear this 'small and unimportant' band of yours sometime."

Sadie thought of the perfect opportunity for Tom to hear Jude's band. "Actually, Jude's band is playing at some girl's party next Friday." When Sadie said this, Tommy noticed sheer panic written all over Jude's face. Apparently Jude did not want him hearing her perform. Which was surprising since the two of them always had that musical connection.

"Next Friday? Oh, I can't make it. I'm working with an up and coming rap artist the whole weekend. Believe it or not, producing is a lot tougher than it sounds. Many long hours of listening to the same song over and over again." Tommy noticed Jude's whole body completely relax. Even though he told Jude he couldn't go, he had to find a way to watch her perform without her knowing. There was something she was hiding and Tommy became suddenly fascinated with discovering what that was.

When Friday came, Jude was in a noticeably great mood. Every time she had the opportunity to play with her band, she felt like it was where she belonged. They only did local parties and coffee shops because Jude appreciated the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere that they provided. Jude's mood was also heightened at the fact that she knew Tommy wasn't going to be at the party. Jude has never before had stage fright when playing a show, but if Tommy was watching her sing, she's not sure how she would react. He could simply smile at Jude, and her nerves would go haywire.

As the band was setting up in the girl's living room, Jude noticed her sister in the back corner and waved at her. Sadie came to most of Jude's gigs and it was somewhat comforting knowing her big sis supported and cared for her so much.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" boomed Jude's voice through the microphone. Scattered cheers came from throughout the house. "Thanks for coming out to Lindsay's party. I'm Jude and this is my band, Spiederman Mind Explosion. Alright, let's heat things up…One, Two, Three, Four!"

_You make me dizzy running circles in my head  
One of these days I'll chase you down  
Well look who's going crazy now  
We're face to face my friend,  
Better get out, better get out  
_

_  
You know you make me breakout  
I don't want to look like that, I don't want to look like that (x2)  
_

_  
You can see this on my face  
It's all for you  
The more and more I take  
I break right through  
Therapy still scares me  
Putting me on my back again._

_  
I may be crazy, little frayed around the ends  
One of these days I'll phase you out  
Burn it in the blast off watching me crawl away  
Try to get out_

_You know you make me breakout  
I don't want to look like that, I don't want to look like that (x2)_

_I don't want to look like that_

_BREAKOUT, BREAKOUT, BREAKOUT__, BREAKOUT! Go, Go, Go!_

_You know you make me breakout  
I don't want to look like that, I don't want to look like that (x2)_

_I don't want to look like that, I don't want to look like that_

_You know you make me breakout, make me breakout, make me breakout…_

The second the chorus of the song echoed through the house, people were going nuts. SME really knew how to get a crowd going. Cups of god knows what were flying through the air, a small mosh pit was formed in the middle of the living room, and people who knew the popular Foo Fighters song were screaming the lyrics back at Jude.

Half way through the song, Tommy managed to sneak in, unnoticed by Jude. She was having too much fun to really notice anyone in the crowd. He leaned against the opposite wall Sadie was standing by, so Jude wouldn't glance at her sister and find a surprise visitor. There was also a group of friends dancing directly in front of Tommy, making it easier for him to stay out of Jude's line of sight.

When the band's first song ended, Sadie casually looked around and immediately noticed Tommy. Her eyes grew wide and she was about to say something, but Tommy cut her to the quick and put his index finger to his lips, nonverbally telling Sadie to keep her trap shut. She nodded, and focused her attention back at Jude. So did Tommy.

Jude and SME played a couple more covers; all of which their 'adoring fans' went wild for. And Tommy could obviously see why. The band was good and had lots of energy, and Jude simply looked stunning up on that tiny platform. She also had a nice sultry voice that started to turn him on, but no one else excepting him would know that he was thinking these things. She wasn't even 18, yet he couldn't help but notice how much she had…blossomed over the past five and a half years.

"Wow. Thanks you guys. You've been an awesome crowd. Although I think that guy in the back needs to sit the next one out or he might break an ankle…or a vase, and I doubt Lindsay will be happy with the latter." Most of the audience laughed at Jude's little comment. The guy in the back nodded in agreement and passed out on the floor. "Okay, we actually only have two more songs for you guys so how about you give us a couple of requests."

Someone shouted out "The Safety Dance" to which Jude just laughed and anxiously listened for the next suggestion. A girl in the front said, "Play one of your songs, Jude."

Jude didn't like playing her music out in public that often because they were very personal and she didn't want people insinuating about what the lyrics meant. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, they're not that great. How about I play a Veruca Salt song…or something from The Breeders? Everyone loves a little 'Cannonball'."

The girl wasn't giving up. "Come on, Jude. We want you songs. Play '24 Hours', or the one about your guitar!" Suddenly the whole room started chanting "Jude, Jude, Jude", and she knew it would be wrong to disappoint them.

"Well…the guys and I have been working on a new song, and we've been waiting for an opportunity to play it in front of an audience." After Jude said this, everyone erupted in applause. She turned to Speed and nodded her head, then looked back at the crowd in front of her. "Alright, guys. This song goes out to all of our super cool fans, and it's called 'That Girl'."

_You said you didn't need me (but you did)  
You said you didn't want me (but you do)  
It's kinda like a comedy  
Well first you kiss me  
Then you say we're through  
I say you got some issues (yeah, you do)  
Some things you gotta work through (really do)  
It's sorta like a talk show, no wait a freak show  
When the freak is you  
_

_  
I'm the smoke from your fire  
I'm that lie you can trust  
I'm the cord on your guitar  
I'm that girl you can't shut up  
I'm that blood you might need  
In your car when you speed  
In that cigarette you breath  
You can't get rid of me  
_

_  
You said I wasn't funny (but you laughed)  
You said I couldn't drive fast (then you crashed)  
Funny how it works out  
With your big mouth  
You'll always get it back)  
You thought you had me worked out (you're not deep)  
Mr. I Screw About  
At best you could've confessed  
That you're a big mess  
And that you're so damn weak  
_

_  
I'm the smoke from your fire  
I'm that lie you can trust  
I'm the cord on your guitar  
I'm that girl you can't shut up  
I'm the blood you might need  
In your car when you speed  
In that cigarette you breath  
You can't get rid of me  
_

_  
But still, I try and justify  
Try to let this die  
We'll never say goodbye I can't wait  
I'll rub it in your face  
Dressed in pretty lace  
I'll send you home, to cry  
_

_  
I'm the blood you might need  
In your car when you speed  
In that cigarette you breath  
You can't get rid of me  
Yeah, yeah  
_

_  
Can't get rid of me_

Tommy was unconditionally mesmerized by the words Jude was singing and the amount of passion that she sang them with. She didn't try as hard when she sang the other songs, but since these lyrics belonged to her, she wasn't afraid to just completely let herself go. She looked even more beautiful, if it was physically possible, singing her song because there was a fire lit inside of Jude that made her glow. Tommy knew the second Jude finished her song that this was something she was born to do and he wanted to do everything he could to help her along her way.

He quietly ducked out of the house before the band's last song to make sure Jude didn't see him. He needed to go think about how he was going to get Jude into the studio and convince Darius that she's a star.

Jude ended her song with her eye lids shut. She was afraid to open them in case the audience's response to the song wasn't what she hoped. A few seconds later, after what seemed to be a long and unnerving silence, someone began clapping, which ignited the rest of the crowd to mimic the action. Jude slowly opened her eyes, and just as she did, a male form with brown hair retreated out the front door. Jude had to blink a couple of times to check her eyesight because she swore the person leaving looked exactly like Tommy. But the person was already gone, so Jude had no way of confirming or denying it.


	3. No Need to Argue

**Part 3: No Need to Argue**

Two days after Tommy witnessed Jude's performance at the house party, he was able to persuade his boss, Darius, to give Jude a shot at a record deal.

"Don't get your hopes up, T, 'cause I'm not saying yes just yet," declared Darius. "Book a date for the studio this week and bring her in so you can put together a demo for me. Then _I'll_ decide what she's destined to be."

"Anything you say, man. You won't regret doing this for me. I promise." Tommy smiled, trying to put into words Jude's gift. "Jude is…she's smart, beautiful, and has a voice unlike any other. The perfect triple threat."

"Alright, alright. I get it. She's great. Just go do what you gotta do." Darius pretended to be interested in some paperwork on his desk so Tommy would get the hint that he wanted him out of his office. Tommy complied, and went to sign up for studio time with Jude.

As he did this, Tommy remembered that getting Jude to agree to do a demo was going to be harder than it sounded. Even if Jude did, by some miracle, agree to record a song for him, she would eventually end up asking him why he felt so confident in her band when he's never heard them perform, and then he'd have to either make up an idiotic story about his faith in her or confess that he saw her at the party. Either way, he couldn't envision it turning out too well. Tommy ultimately decided that his main goal was to get Jude into GMajor. Once there, he'd probably have to wing it, but if he had to use his magical talents of persuasion, so be it.

Tommy and the Harrison sisters had dinner together the next day, which was when Tommy brought up the topic of GMajor, and followed with asking Jude if she wanted to check out a real recording studio.

How could anyone not? Jude _was_ still hurting, but Tommy didn't even realize it, so declining the offer might just confuse him. And it could be a great opportunity for her. She's always wanted to understand the inner workings of an album. Maybe she could even one day record her own music. Plus, going to GMajor would also mean spending more time with the one person that always seemed to make her heart beat erratically.

"Uh…yeah. Sounds cool." In a battle between her heart and her head, Jude's heart had put up a convincing fight, and won this round.

Thursday afternoon, Jude pushed through a side door of her school and walked over to the blue viper waiting for her. Tommy promised to pick her up when school let out, so she could spend as much time as she could exploring GMajor.

Walking up to the building was strange. Jude and Sadie used to always go into the city and pass by GMajor, and Jude would simply stare at it in awe, putting to memory every detail, and trying to catch a glimpse of all the busy bodies inside. Now she was actually going to see more than what was barely visible through the tinted windows, and it kind of excited her. Well, her excitement was probably enhanced at the fact that Tommy's hand rested against Jude's lower back, guiding her to the front door.

As they both walked inside, Jude couldn't help but admire the general splendor before her. To an average 17 year-old female, GMajor was no castle, that's for sure. But to Jude, it was perfect. Rooms full of people either recording songs or having meetings about those songs, plaques and posters featuring previous GMajor artists hanging all over the walls, and enormous, comfy couches that located themselves directly in the center of the building. It had an, overall, laid-back atmosphere, which was exactly the sort of ambiance Jude wanted in her life.

Tommy's hand continued to make contact with Jude's back as they walked around GMajor, but as much as she enjoyed it, it was also becoming increasingly difficult for her to hide what she was feeling. Jude quickened her pace slightly, just enough to be out of Tommy's reach.

Tommy knew he made a mistake when Jude walked ahead of him. He didn't want to make Jude uncomfortable, but the minute he elected to rest his hand on her back, he never wanted to remove it. It almost felt like it belonged there. But Tommy was not going to think too much into it because it was obviously something Jude did not want.

Jude felt it was time to break the silence between them. "When's Sadie supposed to start working here?"

"I'm not sure. But I think our current receptionist, Candice, still has another week before she leaves. So, I'm guessing, Sadie will just pick up where Candice left off." Tommy already deemed it a good sign that Jude was talking to him, not allowing the awkwardness from the prior situation overwhelm her. "Our main studio's right over here," Tommy said, as he pointed to his left.

They walked the few short strides toward the studio, and that's when Jude noticed a guy sitting in a swivel chair, holding headphones tightly to his ears. Once this man in question knew he had company, he removed the headphones and placed them on the soundboard. "Hey, Tom," the man greeted, eyeing the girl standing adjacent to Tommy. "You, uh, working today?"

"Yeah. So, I want you to meet an old friend of mine, Jude Harrison. Jude this is Kwest. He's also a producer here." The two strangers shook hands. "I just thought I'd show Jude the ropes around here. She's the biggest music fan I know, so I figured she'd appreciate getting a tour of GMajor."

Kwest nodded. "That's cool. I'm actually done working on this song today, so the studio's all yours if you want." Kwest got out of his chair, said his goodbyes, then left the room looking for something to do.

Jude stared in confusion at the exit Kwest just walked out of. "Is it just me, or did it look like that guy's life depended on getting the hell away from us? He seemed a little too anxious to leave, don't you think?"

"I didn't notice anything. That's just how Kwest is, I guess." Tommy did spy Kwest acting a bit awkward, and he could probably guess the reason why. Kwest already knew who Jude was and all about how Tommy was trying to get her to cut a demo. Apparently, lying to people was not Kwest's forte.

Jude forgot about Kwest's weird behavior when she easily distracted herself with the shiny board in front of her. "Wow. Is every single button on here absolutely necessary?" Jude's sarcasm was mixed with amusement. She pointed to a switch in the upper right corner. "Let me guess. This switch activates the hydrogen bomb you keep hidden in the basement."

"Cute. No, all of them aren't necessary for every song, but you never know what you're going to need to change in a song. Most of it's precautionary, really." Tommy then continued with explaining how a song got recorded. He caught on pretty quickly to the fact that Jude was just not getting it, which gave Tommy the perfect opportunity to enact his plan.

"Look, it's easier to explain if I just show you. I'll push the button to record, and you can go into the booth and play me a little something."

Jude froze on the spot. "Gee, that's okay. It's not that big of a deal for me to understand, anyway."

Tommy just sighed. "Jude, come on. I'm gonna hear you sing eventually. Considering the one thing we always shared was the music, I think it's time you share a little of _your_ music with me."

Jude was still hesitant, but Tommy did make a convincing argument. Their whole relationship was based around music, and if Jude were to share her songs with anyone, it should be Tommy. The only problem was that most of her songs tended to be _about_ him. He can't find that out, though.

"Look, Tommy, I…well, what I'm trying to say is, all this music stuff that I do…it's primarily for me. I only play small shows because it's what I like to do. I don't plan on turning into a corporate music star easily corrupted by fame, money, and men in fancy suits who don't even know the meaning of music."

"Well, I'm not wearing a fancy suit, am I? All I'm asking is for one little song. I'll even promise that I won't critique it like the music producer in me normally would." Tommy gazed at Jude with intensity. She wasn't even looking back at him, but she could somehow feel the intensity of his stare surrounding her. Jude finally lifted her eyes toward Tommy's and the first thing she noticed in them was compassion and sincerity.

"Okay, fine. I'll do it. But only one song." Tommy grinned like a 7 year-old boy at Christmas. Jude had noticed a guitar lying in the corner of the studio when she first walked in, so she went over to grab it and took it into the booth with her. Tommy started setting up a reel to record her song. Jude sat on the stool in front of the MIC waiting for him to give her the go ahead.

Even though Jude had told Tommy she would do it, she could already feel herself wanting to back out. Her hands were clammy, and the twisting of her stomach acted as a constant reminder to the fact that she was currently nervous as hell. She then noticed the thumbs up from Tommy, and knew there was no turning back. Her fingers begin their usual strum on the finely-tuned guitar, and then she was able to find her voice.

_I've been sitting in the dirt _

_I've forgotten my own worth _

_Said that you'd be here last night _

_I'm trying to shake you from my skin _

_Clean up this mess I've been put in _

_I'm guessing you can't always win_

_I'm guessing you can't always win_

_I can't have anything I want_

_They say I'm just too young_

_But it's not my fault_

_I'll find my own way home if I gotta_

_I'll make it all alone if I gotta_

_I'm not so trustful with my friends_

_I'm on the road alone again_

_I guess I'm tired of giving in_

_I'm sick of wishing you were near_

_You've gone your way, you've made it clear_

_Why do I feel you everywhere?_

_Why do I feel this everywhere?_

_I can't have anything I want_

_They say I'm just too young_

_But it's not my fault_

_I'll find my own way home if I gotta_

_I'll make it all alone if I gotta_

_Don't wanna spend my time_

_Watching the world go by_

_I think I'd rather die_

_And I don't got a plan_

_Not gonna justify_

_To stay where I stand_

_Something I won't deny_

_I can't have anything I want_

_They say I'm just too young_

_But it's not my fault_

_I'll find my own way home if I gotta_

_I'll make it all alone if I gotta_

_I can't have anything I want_

_They say I'm just too young_

_But it's not my fault_

_I'll find my own way home if I gotta_

_I'll make it all alone_

_24 hours_

Tommy stopped recording when he could tell the song was over. He watched her sit there in silence, staring at the ground. He broke her from her trance by talking to her through the intercom. "Those were some strong vocals, Jude. Who knew you had pipes like those?"

Jude looked up at Tommy and smiled weakly. "Only a few of my closest fair-weather friends. I try and keep it on the D-L, if you know what I mean."

"In all seriousness though, you're a fantastic singer. And the song was pretty cool too. Don't be ashamed of your talent, Big Eyes."

Jude's eyes got even bigger due to her surprise at his choice of nickname for her. "Wow. That's a new one. And what, pray tell, made you call me that?"

Tommy did his famous, and heart-melting, smirk. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because you happen to have big eyes."

"What? You mean, big like a bug? Are you saying I have bug eyes, Quincy?" Jude acted like she was offended, even though she wasn't. All she wanted to do was get a rise out of him, and it obviously worked, because Tommy took the defensive angle.

"No, that's not what I meant at all. It was just supposed to be a nickname, you know, like the ones I used to give you when you were younger…wait a minute. You're messing with me, aren't you?"

Jude hopped off the stool and pranced into the part of the studio Tommy was at. She feigned innocence. "Now what ever gave you that idea?"

Tommy laughed at her pathetic, childlike act. They spent the next hour together putting their own spin on Jude's song. Jude liked these moments. When it was just her hanging out with Tommy, no stupid feelings getting in the way.

The next few days were fairly average for a girl Jude's age, until drama decided to knock on Jude's door, or rather wait outside her school's main entrance. She knew the man in the tailored red suit was waiting for her because no one else was around. She received a note in class that her 'uncle' was picking her up early for a dental 'appointment'. Jude walked up to the man standing by his limo and looked at him curiously. To find out who the man in front of her was, Jude knew she had to speak first. "The last time I checked, I didn't have an uncle who was a limo driver."

"A) I happen to have my own driver, thank you, and B) I'm obviously not your uncle; I just thought you'd appreciate getting out of school before everyone else. Was I wrong?"

"No. I'm just like every other high school student who jumps at the chance to ditch the last 20 minutes of learning about logarithms. But with that being said, I think its time to ask a more important question…who the hell are you?"

The man smiled a flashy smile. "The name's Darius Mills, and I'm your manager."

"I'm sorry; did you just say 'manager'?" Jude felt like she was suddenly in an alternate universe, because nothing this guy was saying made any sense to her.

"Well it's not official yet. There are the usual formalities to be completed before hand, but I'd say the deal's as good as set."

"Okay, slow down and say it again in English please."

"I own GMajor. Your friend, Tommy, showed me a sample of your work, and I thought I'd come down here to tell you personally that we'd like to welcome you to our team." Darius oozed with pride, believing he was doing a good deed by giving this girl a chance at a career.

Jude felt everything inside of her swell up. She asked, through gritted teeth, "Tommy did what?"

"That song you recorded in the studio. I listened to it and, I gotta say, it's definitely got 'hit' potential." Darius turned around to open the door to the passenger seat closest to him. "I'd like to take you to the studio so we can sign some paperwork, and then you can begin work on your first album with my main man, Tom." He then motioned for Jude to hop into the limo.

Jude finally snapped. "What? You can't expect me to…because I didn't even know that he…and now you're…" Jude took a few deep breaths and tried to collect her thoughts because her rage was starting to make her dizzy. "Is Tommy at the studio right now?"

"You bet. You can start working with him right away if you'd like. Of course, that paperwork is a requirement that must be dealt with first."

Jude didn't want to listen to him blabbering anymore; she just wanted to find Tommy and kill him. "Enough chit-chat, shiny suit man. Just take me to GMajor now." She dove into the limo, because she always imagined herself leaping head first into one of those things, and waited impatiently for the driver to get going.

Once they had reached their destination, Jude stormed through the doors, ignoring Darius' comments. She spotted Tommy in a nearby studio working with an artist, but she disregarded this fact and charged into the room. The loud bang, coming from the door Jude violently swung open, made Tommy jump, so he turned to see the culprit, finding Jude stalking toward him.

Tommy immediately stood from his spot on his chair when Jude's presence was known to him. "Hey, Big Eyes. I'm kind of busy at the moment. But I think it's great you stopped by though."

Every time Tommy called Jude by a nickname, her stomach would do cartwheels, but not this time. Anger had pushed away all of her girlish feelings. Jude walked right up to Tommy and shoved him back into his black leather chair, watching the bewilderment overcome his facial features. "This is not a courtesy call, Quincy!"

"Jude, what's wrong?"

An irritated laugh escaped from Jude's lips. "What's wrong? What's wrong?!?! I'll tell you _exactly_ what's wrong, buddy!" Jude emphasized the last word by poking Tommy hard in the chest. "_You_ tricked _me_ to record one of my songs so you can try and turn me into another yuppie sellout!" All of Jude's emotions starting pouring out now, and it was going to prove difficult to stop her.

"What are you…"

"Don't play dumb with me, Tommy! Your manager picked me from school today." It suddenly became difficult for Tommy to swallow because he knew he was caught. He didn't want her to find out like this. "That's right. He told me all about your conniving little scheme!" Tommy saw, with his peripheral vision, the artist he was working with quietly exit the room. She probably felt uncomfortable with all of Jude's yelling. "Of all people, Tommy, I thought at least you would understand and respect my wishes. I guess that opinion of you is shot to hell now!"

Tommy was tired of being belittled by Jude. He had his reasons for doing this, and it was time Jude knew that. "Hold on a second! Before you continue judging me, at least hear me out." Tommy paused to see if Jude was going to listen to him, and after detecting her silence, he continued. "Yes, I betrayed your trust. Yes, I heard you perform at that party when you thought I wasn't there."

Jude opened her mouth in shock. "I knew I saw you! I even convinced myself that my eyes were playing tricks on me. You lying, son of a…"

"Jude! Just listen, okay?" Tommy held onto Jude's shoulders, which seemed to shut her up again. "Now, I did the things that I did because I have faith in you and your music. Jesus, Harrison. Do you even realize how talented you are? You've got this fire inside of you that infects anyone in your presence. And you love music more than anyone I know." Jude smiled slightly, because Tommy was telling the truth. She did live and breathe music. She'd probably be lost without it.

Tommy forced Jude to look into his eyes. "This…this right here…it's what you were born to do. I wish you'd just accept that already."

"It's not as easy as all that, Tommy." She tried to find the words to best explain her situation, without giving too much away. "My life has been…complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it. Life's too short to worry about past mistakes." He looked at Jude deeply and smiled sheepishly.

Jude felt herself beginning to smile in response, but then she recalled the reason she was there in the first place. "Hold on. This conversation isn't about me. It's about you…being an ass!" She folded her arms against her chest and averted Tommy's gaze. "You haven't given me any reason to forgive you yet."

"I know what I did to you was wrong. And I am truly sorry for destroying your trust in me. But I did it because I knew you wouldn't." Tommy pulled a few strands of Jude's hair behind her ear. She jumped at his touch. "Jude, you are so comfortable in this little bubble that you've created for yourself that…"

"Hey!" Jude interrupted. "I am not bubble girl."

"Well you do put up an invisible shield every time something new and different comes your way. You're too cautious for a 17 year-old. Don't be afraid to experience life every once in a while."

Jude rolled her eyes at his observations of her. "Great. So now you think I'm a pussy?"

"I didn't…look." Tommy didn't want Jude to get the wrong idea. He just wanted to help her out a little. "All I'm saying is think more closely about the decisions you make throughout your day. You'll be surprised at what you find."

Jude opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't find any words that would suffice. She still refused to give him the benefit of the doubt. "That's real nice and stuff…but I'm leaving now. I'm also still very mad, in case you were wondering. In fact, I think its best that I don't talk to you for a couple of days in order to cool off and put all your evilness behind me."

Tommy loved how innocent Jude acted, and the quirky remarks that accidentally came out of her mouth. Jude left GMajor without talking to anyone else. Tommy sat back down in his chair and briefly thought about what just happened, before remembering he needed to find his artist so they could finish recording.


	4. Eighteen

**Part 4: Eighteen**

Saturday night, Jude and her band, Spiederman Mind Explosion, had a gig at a local coffee shop called _Java Fix_ that they frequented. The sweet, old man that owned the place was probably Jude's biggest fan, which made it so easy to play shows there. The die-hard fans also knew to always look for SME there if nothing else was planned prior.

The band played a couple of their popular covers, followed by some Jude 'originals'. Before anyone knew it, the night had quickly come to an end. As Jude was about to announce that they would be playing their final song for the night, Speed, her guitarist, cut her off. "Alright, everyone. For those of you that don't know, Jude's birthday is tomorrow." Jude bashfully smiled as an eruption of cheers engulfed the coffee shop. Speed consulted the watch situated on his left wrist. "It is now 11:58, which…hold on? Does that mean our little miss Jude turns the big 1-8 in two minutes?" Speed raised his eyebrows and held a goofy grin on his face as he looked at Jude.

Jude rolled her eyes at Speed's idiocy. "How about we just play one more song for the audience, okay Speed?"

"Or…how about _we_ all sing a special song for Jude?" At this remark the crowd got even louder. Before Jude had a chance to oppose this idea, Speed and the rest of the band began playing the intro to "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. Anyone in the coffee shop who knew the words were singing along. Jude felt a rush of embarrassment, but at the same time, she did appreciate the gesture.

Once finished with the song, SME did another Beatles tribute that fit the occasion by performing the ever popular "Birthday". The audience was dancing and having a great time, and the owner of the coffee shop even brought out a cake with lit candles to celebrate. By the time the shop had to close up, and everyone was leaving, Jude didn't care because it had already been the perfect start to her birthday. She fantasized about what other surprises would be in store for her.

After getting approximately five hours of sleep, Jude was bombarded by an excited Sadie. Sadie jumped on Jude's bed, crushing Jude in the process. "Ahhh!"

"Come on sleepy head, don't waste the day away. It's your birthday, so you should make the most of it." Sadie ruffled Jude's hair, and Jude slapped her hand away blindly.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jude mumbled loudly. She adjusted her eyes to the light pouring into her room. "And what is it with people lately telling me to make the most of my days…do I have a rare disease that I don't know about or something?"

Sadie was glad to see Jude's sarcasm wasn't affected by her grumpiness. It gave Jude character. "Or something. Now get out of bed so we can go get breakfast and plan all the fun stuff we're going to do today."

Jude sat up and noticed her sister's cheery disposition. "I swear you get more excited about my birthday than your own. It's not like you get anything out of it."

"Not true. I get the satisfaction of seeing my sister in high spirits." Sadie started going through Jude's closest, probably finding a 'girlie' outfit for Jude to wear.

"Are you saying I can't be happy any of the other 364 days out of every year?" Sadie rolled her eyes at Jude's persnickety attitude and chose not to respond. Jude turned to look at her clock and noticed that it read 7:35 a.m. "Woman, are you crazy? It's way too freaking early, and since it _is_ my birthday, I choose to sleep in." Jude fell back onto her bed with a thump.

"I know it's early for a Sunday, but it's a special Sunday. Plus, people have birthday surprises for you, and if you're gonna fit them all in today, then you need to get up now." Sadie threw some clothes at Jude. After debating her options for two minutes, Jude reluctantly got up again and started to get dressed. Sadie did say 'surprises' which made Jude a little curious as to what they were.

Jude always used to love to go to a quaint pancake house called _Butterfield's_, so that's where Sadie decided to take her this morning. They, apparently, already had a table waiting for them, and when the two sisters walked over to their seats, Jude saw three other people sitting at their reserved table: Jude's mother and father, and…Tommy?

Jude tugged on Sadie's arm, stopping them from reaching their destination. "What the hell is he doing here? Did you plan this?" She gave her older sister a questioning, but fierce, look.

Sadie turned her back toward their guests so they couldn't hear the conversation. "Jude, just give him a chance, okay? He was just trying to do what he thought was best for you. And, to be honest, I agree with him. You have way too much talent to waste on a 30 person maximum capacity coffee shop." Jude started to walk toward the exit, but halted when Sadie said, "And he's got a _really_ great present for you."

Jude knew Tommy had a tendency to trump everyone else in the birthday department. That _Tommy_ album is still one of her favorites…and not because it's called "Tommy" since that would just be…neurotic. Jude began maneuvering her way to the table. "Whatever. Let's get this over with." Jude hugged her mom and dad as they wished her happy birthday, and when Tommy made the same congratulatory remark, Jude didn't respond. He knew she was giving him the cold shoulder, but he wasn't worried. She would hopefully forgive him soon enough.

Jude's mom asked the chef to make a special order of J-shaped pancakes, which was a nice surprise for Jude. What was most surprising was the fact that her mom had that much influence over café cooks.

Breakfast was scrumptious, and the birthday gifts were even better. Jude's parents gave her a couple of albums that they knew were missing from her collection, along with a vintage t-shirt with Pete Townshend on the front doing his signature Pinwheel move.

Sadie suddenly waved her hands in the air frantically. "Okay, okay. My turn!" Sadie handed Jude a rectangular, wrapped present. Jude looked at the gift intently, trying to use her telepathic abilities to discover what was inside.

"Sadie, this better not be your tap dance recital from when you were 13, because I already told you that I have a copy."

Sadie glared at Jude. "Just open it, Punky Brewster." Jude thoughtlessly ripped off the colorful paper and saw before her a digitally re-mastered version of _Godzilla vs. Mothra._

"Holy crap! You found it! Wow, I never thought this day would come. I think I might cry. Thank you so much." Jude hugged her sister forcefully.

Tommy finally got a glimpse of the DVD Jude was holding. "You're gonna cry over a Godzilla movie?"

Jude shot Tommy a menacing look and decided that now was the time to break her vow of silence toward him. "For your information, pal, this is no ordinary Godzilla movie." Jude turned the DVD box so it faced Tommy, and pointed at the cover numerous times. "The original _Godzilla vs. Mothra_, made in 1964,is the _mother_ of all Godzilla movies. It is the reason classically tailored B-movies exist, in my personal opinion."

Tommy put his hands up in mock-defeat. "Whatever you say; you're the corny, Japanese film expert."

Jude didn't like his tone. "You know, Quincy, one day circumstance will find you watching this movie, and do you know what will be going through your head once it's over?" Tommy raised his eyebrows in response. "You'll sit there and ask yourself, 'why didn't I listen to Jude Harrison? She's so smart and always knows what she's talking about. Shame on me for being such an ignorant fool.'"

Tommy burst out laughing at this comment. "Yes…you're right…that is exactly what I'll say if that day ever comes."

When the bill arrived, Tommy snatched it before anyone else could, insisting he pay for everyone's meal. The Harrisons argued it, but it was to no avail. They all left the restaurant, as Jude's parents hugged her goodbye and wished her "happy birthday" one last time, and were beginning to disperse to their respective cars when Jude suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Quincy," Jude yelled at his retreating back. Tommy spun around to face her. "What about your gift?"

Tommy just smirked and replied, confidently, "You'll just have to wait and find out." He turned his heels around again, and continued walking to his viper.

So, Tommy had a secret birthday present for Jude. This was going to be an interesting day.

Most of the afternoon consisted of Jude's friends, band mates, and sister playing laser tag for three hours. Jude was astonished that her sister even wanted to go laser tagging in the first place, because, to be honest, shooting people with toy guns is not on Sadie's list of fun things to do. Nevertheless, Jude was happy they could spend more quality time just goofing around together.

After laser tagging, Jude's band members gave her a gift bag that contained a book with instructions, and supplies, on how to make balloon art, so that occupied them for another hour.

"Look, Jude, the sword's not that hard to do. You're just thinking about it too much. A couple of simple twists and you're done." Speed was trying to motivate Jude to make her first completed balloon object.

"It's obviously not _that_ simple if I've managed to pop 23 balloons in the past 45 minutes." Jude was getting grumpy over her helplessness. "Let's just face it…I have no hope in the balloon art profession." She looked at all the balloon shapes surrounding her friends. "Although, you assholes don't have to rub it in my face by making airplanes, monkeys, and…holy shit! Wally, is that a ninja turtle?"

Wally beamed satisfactorily, "Yeah. It's Donatello!" Everyone laughed while Jude acted uninterested to mask her jealousy. The doorbell rang, so Jude took it upon herself to answer the door since she could use the distraction. She opened the door to find Tommy standing on the other side.

"Oh."

"Wow, Jude. It's great seeing you too." Tommy's sarcasm was not appreciated at the current moment.

Jude changed the topic. "So, is it time for me to get my present from you."

"You're especially greedy today, aren't you?"

"Well, gluttony isn't exactly the best of sins, but you gotta commit at least one of them on your birthday, right?"

"I guess. As for myself, I would choose pride."

Jude sniggered. "That's because it comes so naturally to you."

Tommy didn't want to bicker anymore. "Anyway, I _am_ here because of your present, but it doesn't look like you're ready."

"Why do I have to be 'ready' for it?"

"Because we're going out." Tommy eyed Jude up and down. "Yeah, you're definitely not dressed appropriately for where I'm taking you. Go find an outfit that you'd wear if you wanted to be noticed."

Jude was thinking many things in her head at the same time. "You mean, my present involves going somewhere…with you?" She sighed. "And, also, I'm sorry to bust buttons, but I don't have many clothes that scream 'notice me!'…unless I raided Sadie's hooker closet."

Tommy just looked at Jude and shook his head. "Stop being a smart ass and go pick out something you'd wear to one of your shows." Jude started to walk away, leaving Tommy in the arch of the front step. "And don't call your sister a hooker. After all, she did buy you that 'fantastic' Godzilla movie." Jude turned around to glare at Tommy before entering her bedroom.

Jude was sitting in the passenger side of Tommy's viper, unable to sit still because it had become increasingly difficult to control her antsy state. Tommy kept stealing glances at her, noticing this behavior. "Will you stop moving around? Every little thing you do distracts me from driving."

"Well, maybe if you just told me where the hell we were going, I wouldn't be so freaking anxious!" Jude paused, hoping it would provide Tommy enough time to give her an answer, but he didn't respond. "Please tell me where we're going. I can't take it anymore!"

Tommy thought about it for a minute, and decided telling her wouldn't hurt. "Alright, we're going to a venue in the city to see a Pixies tribute band perform."

One of Jude's favorite bands was Pixies, but there was a slight problem. "That's cool and all, Tommy, but the thing is…I kind of hate tribute bands. They tend to ruin the songs for me. To this day I can't listen to 'Stairway to Heaven' because of a moronic Led Zeppelin tribute band." As mad as Jude still was at Tommy, she felt bad chasitzing him for getting her a lame present.

"That's because the ones you've seen were not up to par. This band plays the best Pixies covers I've heard yet. Just give them a chance."

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do, tonight. And I did get all dolled up so people could 'notice me', if you catch my drift."

"Ha ha," replied Tommy, unenthusiastically. He parked the car in a parking garage across the street. They got out and made their way toward the discreet concert hall. It was small. Small enough to pass by and not think much of. Jude liked venues like that.

Tommy's name was on the list, so they got in with ease, not like Jude was expecting it to be difficult in the first place. Jude followed Tommy down a flight of stairs.

"Ooh, the stage is underground? How very 'London, England'." Reaching the bottom step, Jude noticed the walls were covered with writing and graffiti. The room was dark with fluorescent light bulb scattered around; the only real light was being used to accentuate the stage. From what Jude could tell, the band was just now setting up. Jude was admiring the vintage feel of the place when she noticed who she thought was the drummer of the band stand up and wave at Tommy. Tommy acknowledged the wave. She looked at him curiously. "Friend of the band?"

"Possibly." Tommy turned to face Jude. "Would that surprise you?"

Jude huffed. "Please. Nothing you do ever surprises me."

The band played a couple of the classics: "Monkey Gone to Heaven", "Hey", "Wave of Mutilation", and "Here Comes Your Man". They weren't that bad, but Jude knew in her heart that no one could play it like the originals. Jude hoped the show wasn't going to end soon though, because that would mean they wouldn't be playing some of her favorites.

"They're gonna perform 'Where is My Mind?', right?" Tommy just shrugged his shoulders. Jude continued. "Tommy, you don't understand. Not playing 'Where is My Mind' in a Pixies tribute band is like making cookies without sugar: bitter and pointless."

Tommy rather liked Jude's analogy. "Just watch."

She did as he said, and sure enough the intro to Jude's favorite Pixies song rang in her ears. Something was odd though. She heard the constant "ooh" in the background, vocals normally provided by Kim Deal in Pixies, but she didn't see anyone on stage creating the sound. Jude looked around frantically, trying to find the person who was singing the haunting chords.

Out of the blue, a woman from stage left appeared before the audience. Jude squinted her eyes to get a better look at the female form on stage. She looked like Kim Deal, she sounded like Kim Deal…but there was no way she could _be_ Kim Deal. When an abrupt applause swept the audience, Jude put two and two together. She darted her eyes toward Tommy and grabbed his left arm tightly. "That's…she's…"

"If what you're trying to say is 'she's Kim Deal' then you would be right." Tommy could see the happiness on Jude's face waiting to explode.

"Wait, wait, wait…are you telling me that the person I admire most in the world is in the same room as me right now?"

"Only if the person you admire most in the world is either me or Kim."

Jude glanced back up at the stage. The song was about half way through now. "Holy shit!!!! This is unbelievable…I can't…oh my god! I can't breathe." Jude put her head between her legs.

Tommy knelt down so Jude could hear him better. "Jude, you need to calm down. This is you're once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't stand back here with your head between your legs; you're gonna miss it all." Jude slowly stood upright again, and before she could process anything else, Tommy took her hand and brought her closer to the stage.

The song was all the more amazing because Kim was a part of it. When it ended, everyone clapped and roared loudly, Jude being the loudest of them all.

Kim began talking through the microphone. "Thank you. I bet you weren't expecting me when you decided to come to this show, huh?" The audience yelled in excitement. Jude was practically gawking at the famous bass player. "So, one of the reasons why I'm here tonight is because a friend of mine told me it was a very special girl's birthday today."

Jude smiled. "Aw, someone's celebrating a birthday too. How ironically cute."

Tommy leaned into Jude, his lips practically brushing up against Jude's ear. "She's talking about you, kid." When Tommy moved back, Jude couldn't do anything but stare at him.

She was brought out of her trance when Kim continued talking. "I was also told that this person is a fellow musician, so I was wondering if she'd like to help me out with the next song. What do you say, Jude?"

Jude's eyes got wider than they'd ever been before. If it wasn't for Tommy's nudging, she would've probably just stood there in shock for the next five minutes. Instead, she cautiously made her way up the small set of stairs to the stage. A roadie gave Jude a microphone as Kim was given a bass. Jude then heard the familiar tune begin.

_And this I know_

_His teeth are white as snow_

_What a gas it was to see him_

_Walk her everyday_

_Into a shady place_

_With her lips she said _

_She said_

_Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball_

_Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball_

_Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball_

Jude finally found the strength to join in because it was like Tommy had said, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

_Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic_

_A big big love_

_Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic_

_A big big love_

During the brief instrumental section after the first chorus, Kim nodded her head for Jude to take the lead vocals. Jude still couldn't believe this was happening but decided to give it her all.

_Lovely legs there are_

_What a big black mask_

_What a hunk of love_

_Walk her every day into a shady place_

_He's like the dark, but I'd want him_

_Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball_

_Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball_

_Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let's have a ball_

_Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic_

_A big big love_

_Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic_

_A big big love_

_Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic_

_A big big love_

_Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic_

_A big big love_

As the last chord was hit, the crowd found themselves in a frenzy. Everyone loved the duet between Kim Deal and this 'stranger' with a powerful voice. Kim walked over to Jude, and hugged her, whispering "Happy Birthday" in the process. Jude looked back to the audience, hoping to find Tommy. Finally spotting him, she gazed lovingly into his eyes and a huge smile made its way across her face. Today was definitely a day that she would never forget.


	5. No Surprises Part 1

**So I am on my spring break right now, which means—hopefully—there will be more chapters posted in a short amount of time. Fingers crossed. Now is where real drama begins to unravel…we'll see where it goes from there. TTFN**

**Part 5: No Surprises (Part 1)**

"Alright, Jude," Tommy's soft voice sounded through the sound room. "Let's take it from the top one more time." Jude waited a few seconds until she heard the music surge through her headphones.

_Why you always trying to make me something that I don't wanna be?  
Ooo, push me over, make me over, try to make a joke out of me_

_There's something you should know  
I won't change and I'm not letting go  
There's something you will see  
You can't turn down cuz I'm breakin free ya _

You just can't take the me out of me  
Cuz that's what I need the world to see  
You just can't take the me out of me  
Oh there's no one else I'd rather be

I won't change my hair, I don't care if you call me a freak (freak)  
Won't change my attitude, no I'll never change the way that I speak

_There's something you should know  
I won't change no I won't let go  
There's something you will see  
You can't turn down cuz I'm breakin free ya_

_You just can't take the me out of me  
Cuz that's what I need the world to see, ya  
You just can't take the me out of me  
Oh there's no one else I'd rather be_

_Can't make me  
Won't make me  
Can't shake me  
Won't break me down  
Won't break me down _

You just can't take the me out of me  
Cuz that's what I need the world to see  
Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya  
Oh there's no one else I'd rather be 

Jude set her headphones on the stool, walked over by Tommy, and sat on the edge of the soundboard while he finished 'tweaking', as he so delicately called it. She loved watching him deep in his thought. On the night of Jude's birthday Tommy was quickly forgiven for his stupid mistakes and Jude even did him one better by agreeing to be a GMajor artist. Tommy was completely stunned when she told him this. His birthday gift to her was originally planned as a plea for Jude to forgive him, but it obviously had done more than that. He was thrilled that she had decided to live up to her true potential as a musician.

It had been roughly three weeks since that night in question, and Tommy and Jude were currently working on the third song for her first official album.

Tommy finally looked up at Jude, who was watching him intently. "Something on your mind?"

Jude smiled and shook her head. She continued staring at him, this time with a grin serenely plastered on her face.

"Okay, _that's_ gotta stop…it's starting to creep me out because you have this, somewhat, sinister look in your eye." It really wasn't bothering him, but Tommy didn't want to tell her the truth, which was that it made him feel a little flustered.

Jude began giggling uncontrollably. "I'm sorry…I'm just in really good mood!" She took deep breaths to calm down her laughing fit. "Do you want me to be in a bad mood instead?"

"It's okay. I'm pretty content with your current temper. You're more fun to be around when you're like this." Tommy smiled at the adorable expression on her face.

"But I thought I was always fun."

"Well, I don't know about 'always'. I mean, sometimes you can be a _real_ pain in the ass."

Jude glared at Tommy. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear you say that." Jude pushed herself off the soundboard and ran her hand furiously through Tommy's perfectly gelled hair before heading toward the couch where her jacket and purse were situated.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Tommy groaned while attempting to fix his quaff.

Jude put her jacket on and turned around to face Tommy again. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe cuz that's what a _pain in the ass_ does."

"I thought you were gonna pretend I didn't say that."

Jude stared off into space trying to think of a clever response, but failed miserably. Instead, she started laughing again. This time, Tommy joined in on her hysterics.

After they both regained their composure, Tommy was the first to muster up a new conversation topic again. "So, rumor has it that you and your idol exchanged cell phone numbers after the show?" After the concert that night, Jude and Kim talked for a good half of an hour while Tommy helped the band pack up their equipment.

Jude shrugged her shoulders and, while fiddling about with her contact list on her cell phone, answered as if it was nothing. "Yeah. Kim's coming back to town next month, so we're probably gonna have a couple of jam sessions or whatever."

Tommy was amused by Jude's casual attitude toward the situation. "I see. So, you guys are like, what, BFF now?"

"Shut up, Tommy. Mockery is not appreciated. Look, she's just really cool and I don't want to sound like one of those annoying fan girls in love with how Boys Attack! looked in their shiny parachute pants." Jude smirked because of how easily she was able to turn the tables.

"Ah! I was wondering when that was gonna come up. I have to be honest, you've been a little off your game with 'Boys Attack!' references, lately."

"I know…but I think that grand slam I just hit really boosted my average." Jude grinned and picked up her purse so she could start heading out the door.

"Hey, before you go, I got a question for you. Darius' Valentine's Day party is in two days and he wants you to debut your first single by performing it there." Tommy noticed Jude make a gagging motion at the mention of Darius' party. "Which of the three songs we've recorded so far do you want as your single?"

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it much." Jude rolled her eyes. "Gosh, why do I have to go to this stupid thing? Valentine's Day is quite possibly the worst holiday mankind could have created. It makes single people feel inadequate and it makes couples work way too hard to express their 'love' to one another. It should be called 'Who Can Buy the Most Lavish Gifts for Their Loved One' Day. It's probably why Darius loves it so much…because he could out-do a lot of people in that department."

Tommy stretched out in his chair. "Trust me; I don't want to go just as much as you do. It's one of those parties where going stag is not an option." He looked at Jude curiously. "You have a date for this thing, right?"

Jude glanced around the room apprehensively. "Yeah…of course I do. He…well, the thing is he…"

"Doesn't exist."

Jude picked up the closest thing to her, which happened to be her notebook, and chucked it at Tommy's chest. "Ha, ha. Laugh all you want. But no one told me we _had_ to bring a date, okay?"

Tommy was able to suppress his laughter when an idea came to him. "Listen, I don't have a date either."

Jude folded her arms to her chest. "Pssh! And you were making fun of me. Real smooth, cowboy."

"Anyway," Tommy continued, "why don't we go together?"

"As in: me and you?" Jude tried to act uninterested when he asked the question, but on the inside she was dancing.

"Yeah, why not? It could solve both of our problems and we'll probably be spending most of the time together anyway since we have to make our rounds talking to corporate execs and what not. This way our dates won't feel awkward and left out." Tommy looked at Jude expectantly. "What do you say?"

Jude didn't want to sound too eager to accept his offer, so she decided that the best thing to do in this situation was to mess with him some more. Jude had a fake look of stern contemplation on her face. "I don't know, Quincy. I mean, what if you turn out to be a really bad dancer. I'd rather not have to deal with the humiliation that would come with being your date."

Tommy raised himself up and out of his chair to walk up to Jude. "I'll have you know, that I am a terrific dancer. Many women have witnessed and, in fact, praised this crafted skill of mine. Unfortunately, it was more difficult than I thought to get any of them to sign an affidavit regarding this achievement."

"Well it looks like your proof is shot to hell then, isn't it?"

"True." Tommy inched closer to Jude, gently removed the purse slung over her shoulder, and placed it back on the couch. "I guess I'll just have to show you, then." Before Jude could protest, Tommy began whisking her around the room. He was a terrific dancer, of course. All those dance lessons he went through during his Boys Attack! days had really paid off. Jude brought herself back to when she used to slow dance with her father as a little girl while standing on his feet.

Tommy's face was inches from Jude's. "And now for the finale." With those words, Tommy spun Jude out at arm's length. She giggled as she spun back toward him. The second spin caused Tommy and Jude to be inadvertently closer than they were before. Their proximity was the reason Jude's smile faded and the reason all either one of them could do was stare into each other's eyes. Without even realizing it, they both had stopped dancing. The staring contest had lasted for more than 30 seconds, but Tommy decided it would be worth it to lose at this game. He swiftly leaned in for the kiss he had longed for since…well, since he first saw Jude appear in that hallway over a month ago.

Jude's breath hitched in her throat and she didn't have time to process, any further, the emotions that were racing around in her head, because Tommy's soft lips were now on hers. She closed her eyes tightly due to her sudden inability to contain her feelings anymore; she found herself letting go. Tommy brought both of his hands up to cradle her face as he began to intensify the kiss by tenderly sucking on each lip. All of the passion Jude had held in for Tommy all these years was released in this kiss. She snaked her arms around his torso, grasping handfuls of his shirt firmly as things began to heat up.

Other feelings she had about Tommy had unexpectedly crept into Jude's brain. Without even intentionally thinking it, she was filled with anger and sadness. Jude snapped her eyes open and immediately pushed away from Tommy. They both stood a foot apart, making an effort to control their unsteady breathing.

It was the most uncomfortable silence either of them had ever felt, and Jude had to break it. "I have to go." She quickly picked up her purse again. "I…I just can't do this." Jude ran out of the studio and out the front doors of GMajor before Tommy even had a chance to get a word in.


	6. No Surprises Part 2

**I'm surprised I wrote this chapter so quickly. Maybe it's because I was really excited about it. The title says it all. **

**And thanks for all the great comments. You make me smile.**

**Part 6: No Surprises (Part 2)**

The next morning, Sadie walked into the kitchen to find Jude hovering over a frying pan. "Okay, either you're sleepwalking or you're anxious about something, because I know for a fact you haven't been up this early since you were five." Sadie paused to get a closer look at what Jude was doing. "And, are you cooking?"

"I'm making us omelets. I thought it'd be a nice change from shredded wheat and bananas." Jude began whisking three eggs in a bowl. "Oh, and for the record, I distinctly recall waking up at 5:30am every Christmas until I was at least 10."

"Whatever. So, is something wrong?"

Jude stopped whisking but chose not to look at Sadie. "What makes you think something's wrong. I'm only up 45 minutes before I normally would get up considering it is a school day."

"I'm talking about the impulsive need to be a chef this morning." Sadie casually approached Jude so that Jude had no choice but to look at her. "Usually when you cook it's because you're distracting yourself from something that's bothering you. So what is it?"

Jude turned away from her sister to continue her breakfast process. "It's nothing, okay? I had trouble sleeping…I heard this constant tapping noise coming from somewhere and I knew it was no use trying to sleep through it. So, I came down and thought I'd surprise you with breakfast." She flipped the concoction in the pan. "But if you don't want it, I can find a vagabond nearby to feed. There always a desperate bunch."

Sadie knew she was upset but decided not to push it any further because when Jude started cracking jokes in these situations, it meant she was not going to talk about it. "Nice try. You know I never could pass up Jude's famous Omelete de fromage."

Jude smiled and finished making the food so they could both be on their way to work or school.

All day at school, Jude found it difficult to concentrate. Part of the reason might have been because she was so tired, due to her lack of sleep from the previous night. The other reason was because the only thing she could concentrate on was Tommy. She didn't want to think about him or what had happened between them, but it seemed inevitable at the current moment.

Last night was…unforgettable, to be sure. Jude had always imagined what it would be like to kiss Tommy, and the reality of it was even better than she had dreamed. But because it was real, she knew it shouldn't have happened. It was okay to fantasize about kissing Tommy, because the consequences of their actions don't exist in her mind. However, here in the real world, there are always consequences, and excuses, and a history that does not want to be repeated. The best thing for Jude to do for now was to avoid Tommy until she could figure out a comfortable way for them to maintain their platonic relationship.

Therefore, she didn't go to GMajor after school. She ignored the many voicemails Tommy left on her cell, and, instead, called Sadie to have her tell Darius she wasn't feeling well and that she wouldn't be coming in to work today. It wasn't lying really, considering she wasn't all that great, psychologically that is.

Shortly before dinner, Sadie got home from work. Jude had ordered a pizza, because cooking this morning was enough effort for one day, and it would be arriving any minute. Sadie had just enough time to change out of her work clothes before the delivery guy appeared on their front doorstep. She paid the scruffy-looking man before settling down in the living room to eat and watch a movie with Jude in silence.

Halfway through dinner, Sadie decided she didn't like the silence anymore. "So Tommy was worried about you today when I told him you didn't feel well." Jude continued to stare at the screen, avoiding what she thought Sadie was going to say next. "He thinks something else might be wrong."

"We've had this conversation, Sadie. I'm fine." Jude was now on her third piece of pizza.

"What, did you two get into like an argument, or something?"

Jude slammed her pizza back onto the plate. "Geez, Sadie! Why can't you just butt out sometimes?!" Jude got up and headed for her bedroom. Sadie was bewildered by Jude's crazed tone, but chose to let it go and not follow her.

Jude emerged 15 minutes later with a large backpack in her hand. Sadie questioned the action. "And where _exactly_ are you going tonight?"

"Kat said I could sleepover. I'll be back sometime tomorrow."

Sadie wasn't happy but she knew she couldn't stop her. "Alright, but don't forget about the party." She barely got the last word in before Jude slammed the front door shut.

Jude did hear her though, and up until then she had forgotten about the party. She knew Darius wouldn't let her _not_ show up, so to make it a somewhat pleasant evening Jude just needed to figure out what song she would perform, and find a way to avoid Tommy all of tomorrow night.

Back at the Harrison residence, Sadie was cleaning up the kitchen—as sad as doing that on a Friday night sounds. She had just filled the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. Sadie was surprised to find Tommy at her door, but let him in, nevertheless.

"Hey, Sades. Is, uh, Jude feeling any better?" Tommy's voice sounded awkward and nervous, and Sadie caught on to that fact quickly.

"Yeah. She's fine. She's actually staying at a friend's house tonight." Sadie could see relief wash over him. She couldn't stand being in the dark anymore. "So, seriously. What happened between you two? You're kind of a sore subject for her right now."

Tommy tried to find the right words to say, without actually telling the truth. "It was just a stupid argument that was blown way out of proportion. It was about one of her songs."

Apparently that answer was good enough for Sadie. "Oh, I see. Jude can be particular about her music."

"You know it." Quiet engulfed the room as both of them thought about what they wanted to say next. Tommy was thinking about Jude, and what happened, and how he screwed it up so easily. He was confused and knew he needed some guidance in this department, but telling Sadie about his feelings for Jude might be weird. He felt she could help him, though, since they had dated before. Tommy decided to ask for her opinion on the subject by making the girl in question very elusive.

He was about to talk again when Sadie beat him too it. "Are you hungry? We have some leftover pizza from dinner."

"That's alright, Sadie. But I kind of did want to ask you something, if you don't mind." Sadie smiled at this remark and led him to the couch in the living room.

"What's up?" proclaimed a sincere Sadie.

Tommy was glad she was so willing to listen to him. This seemed like a different Sadie than the one he knew before. "Um, alright. I feel a little weird and juvenile doing this but…there's this girl."

Sadie smiled again. "There always is, Tom. What's the problem with this…girl?"

"Well, the thing is, I have strong feelings for her, but I'm not sure how she feels about me at the current moment. And, worst of all, we kind of have a bizarre history."

Sadie was enthralled by his story. "Go on."

Tommy looked away from Sadie briefly, trying to find the right question to ask. "I'm just wondering if I should tell her how I feel…even at the risk of losing our friendship? I mean, I respect _that_ more than anything. What do you think?"

Sadie now beamed at Tommy. She couldn't contain herself anymore. "Oh, Tom!" Sadie threw her arms around Tommy's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about ruining our friendship because I want to get back together with you too."

Tommy's eyes widened at this confession. _Oh god! I just royally fucked up._ All he found himself saying in response was, "Really?"

"Yes, Tom." She wiped at her eyes, since the joy of the situation was too much to bear, and released Tommy so she could look him straight in the eyes. "Look, I know we ended things horribly in high school, but we were young then. We've both changed and have become mature adults that can handle making a relationship like this last." Sadie's eyes darted towards the ground as her tone changed. "I'm not too proud of things that I've said or done in the past," Sadie confessed before looking back up at Tommy, "but I never stopped caring about you, and I think we really have a shot at making things right this time around."

Without a warning, Sadie pressed her lips on Tommy's. Shock hit him full force again. How was he going to get out of this one? If he tells her she's not the girl he has feelings for, she'll be heartbroken, and now is not the time to make the other Harrison sister upset as well.

Sadie stopped kissing him, which gave Tommy a chance to plan his exit route. "Okay, well this is all happening very quickly, and I think we really need to take things slow. So, I'm gonna go…and think about it for a while." He stood up and looked down at Sadie. "I will see you at Darius' Valentine's party tomorrow, okay?"

Sadie smiled and gazed adoringly at Tommy. "Sounds perfect."

The second he left the house, Tommy began mumbling and cursing, amazed that he could be so stupid to assume this was all going to work itself out. He couldn't keep leading Sadie on, so he'd have to tell her tomorrow that they would be better off as just friends. He also needed to solve this thing with Jude as soon as he could.

It was now close to midnight and Jude still had trouble sleeping, even at Kat's house, because of her preoccupied thoughts. She thought about why the kiss was wrong, and why it was 'oh so good' at the same time. It just didn't make sense why it had to be so difficult for her to wrap her pretty little head around.

And then it hit her, like a ton of bricks that suddenly came flying through the window. It _didn't_ have to be difficult at all. Yes, she still had emotions of hurt and sorrow from when Tommy left, but he never made any promises to her then. Jude has dreamt of being with Tommy for so long, and now that he had somewhat expressed how he felt about her, it was time she told him how she really felt. Years of keeping her true feelings at bay was more difficult than people realized, and it was time the caged animal inside of her was set free.

Now that Jude knew what needed to be done, the only question left was how. How would she tell him, and when? _I'll write Tommy a song; it's the best way for him to understand that I'm speaking from my heart and soul. And I could sing it for him at the Valentine's Party._

Jude quietly got out of her makeshift bed that was assembled on the floor, searched for her notebook and a pencil in her backpack—which she carried with her at all times, and began writing her lyrical message to Tommy.

Within an hour and a half, Jude was satisfied with how the song had turned out. She then crawled back into her bed, finally able to drift off into a peaceful slumber, which was much needed considering the big day she had ahead of her tomorrow.

Jude awoke, the following morning, in a fairly decent mood. She didn't want to get her hopes up too much regarding Tommy's response at the party, but confessing her feelings for him was a transformational step for Jude. Kat's mom took the girls out to breakfast to celebrate Jude's musical debut. Kat had asked Jude what song she would be playing tonight, which reminded Jude that she needed to call up SME as soon as possible so they could rehearse the new song enough to be prepared for tonight's performance.

"Jude, the party's in eight hours. We've never _only_ had less than a day's practice before performing a song." Spiederman was obviously not convinced that Jude's plan would work.

"Well, there's no harm in trying something new. Who knows, maybe some good will come out of our quick experimentation."

"Whatever that means."

"Listen, I don't care what you say. I'm coming over in a half hour. Call Kyle and Wally and tell them rehearsal's at 11am."

"But it's 10:55 now."

"I know. Since they always show up 30 minutes late, they might actually be on time for once." Jude hung up her phone so she could now concentrate on shopping for a dress for tonight, which Kat was aiding her in, before she had to dash to Speed's house. Time was of the essence, and Jude feared she was running out of it very quickly.

_It's temporary insanity  
What's going on with you and me?  
Is it real or is it fantasy?  
Forever or just temporary?_

"Actually, you know what guys it still doesn't sound right…if we could, I don't, try that chorus half an octave higher and maybe…Kyle can I have you do a triple meter instead."

"No." Jude glared at Kyle for his matter-of-fact statement. "I'm kidding. You don't have to go all psycho on me."

Jude sighed. The stress was starting to get to her. "I know. I'm sorry. I just _really_ want this song to be done in time, and I'm trying to put a good edge on it so it doesn't sound too rough, you know?"

"Don't worry, dude," Speed interjected. "You know we'll always have your back. Besides, this is a really different song from what you've written before so we expect it to be more difficult to practice."

It was Wally's turn to add in his two cents. "Yeah, it's deep. And all those music hotshots you'll perform to tonight will definitely dig deep."

Jude smiled at her boys. "Thanks, guys. And if it's any consolation, I'll always have _your_ backs too."

Speed cocked his head to the side. "And when is that gonna be necessary?"

"Shut up," Jude proclaimed as she shoved Speed into Wally. They laughed it off and got back to their places. "Alright, let's just start from the top again and see what we have so far." SME started up the intro music as Jude began to sing.

_What just happened?   
Did you kiss me?  
Cause that's a place we've never been until now_

And I don't know how it's gonna be after this  
Do we pretend these feelings don't exist at all  
Or do we fall? 

"Good, now do that tempo transition."

__

My confusion shows whenever you get so close  
I stumble, I stutter, forget what to say  
I'm nervous, I wonder why I'm acting this way…

Tommy was waiting by the bar in his tailored, blue pin-striped suit, nervously glancing at his watch. It was 7:16pm and Jude wasn't at the party yet. She didn't need to be, but Tommy just wanted to see Jude soon so he could explain things, and, hopefully, tell her how he feels without her freaking out and running away again.

The room was full of people, but not so many that Tommy would have a problem picking Jude out of the crowd. In fact, when Jude did show up, Tommy spotted her immediately. She was the blonde goddess in the red silk dress on the top of the stairs; a picturesque sight,, like you'd see in one of those cheesy romance films. Jude's hair fell down her shoulders in wavy curls, and her halter dress curved its way down to her ankles. Most of the people in the room stopped to look at her as she made her way gracefully down the stairs, because she looked like a movie star, but in a classic way like Grace Kelly or Ingrid Bergman.

Jude soon found Tommy's gazing eyes and made her way toward him until they were only a foot apart.

Tommy felt almost speechless looking at Jude, but knew he had to say something. "Wow…you look…I've never…fantastic."

Jude scrunched up her face, which Tommy found even more irresistible, but soon smiled at the thought. "I'm gonna take your incoherent sentence as a positive response to my appearance."

Tommy took a swig of the beverage he had in front of him, hoping it would aid him in forming words correctly. "You should."

"Thanks. And, you know, you're not too shabby yourself tonight." Jude eyed Tommy from head-to-toe.

"Well, I do dress to impress." Tommy could already feel himself getting more comfortable in front of Jude; she made it easy.

"If the offer still stands, I would like to be your date for the party." Tommy smiled at Jude's acceptance. "You see, the truth is, I couldn't find _anyone_ else to go with me. All of my 'usual' escorts were unavailable for the evening and even shady Mr. Stills, the homeless man across the street, had something better to do than accompany me to a boring, stuffy Valentine's Day celebration at GMajor. Who would've thought?"

"So, let me get this straight. _I'm_ your last resort?" Tommy questioned in mock offense.

"Afraid so. Is this a first for you?"

"It is…but I'm strangely okay with that."

Jude laughed at his benevolent comment. "It's good to see you lowering your standards every once in a while, Quincy."

Tommy jutted out his elbow so Jude could link her arm through it. "Shall we brave the corporate execs now and get it over with?"

"What must be shall be." The pair then zigzagged their way through the room to do their monotonous meet-and-greets.

Exhausted from putting on a cheerful façade, Jude led Tommy to a corner of the room so they wouldn't be hounded anymore. "Ugh, if I have to talk to one more person who insists on judging me profusely, I swear I'm gonna take off one of my shoes and jab the pointy part straight into their eye."

"You mean the heel?"

"Yeah, whatever. If you haven't noticed already, I don't wear these kinds of shoes very often. Especially since they make me feel like I'm walking on needles." She put her hand on Tommy's shoulder for support as she massaged one of her feet with her other hand. Once both feet were firmly on the ground again, Jude grabbed Tommy's wrist to see what time it was. "Crap, I go on in a couple of minutes. I'm starting to get a little nervous."

Tommy grabbed Jude's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Don't be. Just pretend these people are the same ones that would show up at the café to hear you perform." He slowly released her hand, even though holding a part of her felt like something he could do forever. "So what song did you choose, anyway? You never told me."

Jude looked down and took a few deep breaths. "Actually, I'm glad you asked that." She looked back up at Tommy again, hoping his warm eyes would help her form the words that needed to be said. "I'm actually gonna perform a new song…one that I wrote just last night. It…it means a lot to me and has a lot to do with how I feel right now. I really want you to…"

Jude stopped speaking when she noticed an arm snake its way under Tommy's. "There you guys are," came the familiar voice of Jude's sister. Sadie looked at Tommy and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry it took me so long. Darius had me help with making sure people were on the guest list. You wouldn't believe how many non-invitees tried to get in tonight."

Jude's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like she just woke up from a really good dream and was now back as her 11 year-old self again. Tommy could see the confusion on Jude's face. "Sadie, Jude and I were just in the middle of a conversation."

"Oh," Sadie exclaimed as if remembering something. "I feel so silly. I haven't seen you all day, Jude, so I haven't even told you, yet?"

Jude knew exactly what she was going to say, but needed a confirmation of it to believe it was actually happening. "Tell me what?" Her voice sounded weak and unsure.

Tommy turned to the girl attached to his side. "Sadie, now's not the best time to do this."

"Oh, please, Tom. She's gonna find out anyway. And I want her to know before everyone else does." Jude took another deep breath and held it in until Sadie spilled the news. "Tom and I have decided to get back together."

As Jude let out the air in her lungs unsteadily, everything inside of her felt empty. She knew it was coming, yet actually hearing the words from Sadie's lips still took her by surprise. Tommy closed his eyes because he couldn't think of anything to say in front of either of them. He didn't know how he was going to resolve this mess he had created.

Jude knew keeping quiet might make Sadie suspicious of her feelings, so she feigned congratulations. "Really? That's…That's awesome you guys." Jude felt like screaming because her pretense was becoming difficult to maintain, but she did it nonetheless. "You two always were the perfect couple." Jude's upset state was increased by the fact that Tommy refused to say anything.

"I know, right?" reacted Jude's overly cheery sister.

Jude couldn't be near them any longer. "Well…I gotta go. I'm about to sing in front of a bunch of stuck-up strangers, so I better prepare myself." She didn't leave herself time for more parting words before turning around and practically jogging to the stage.

Once backstage, Jude felt like breaking down, but forced herself to stay composed until the party was over—then she could smash as many things as she wanted.

She didn't even see Tommy appear until he started talking to her. "Jude, what happened back there…it's not what you think."

"You don't know what I'm thinking, Tommy. And, you know what, it's not important anyway." Jude paused to muster up the guts to say the next part. "I really am happy for the two of you. You belong together."

"Sadie and I aren't…"

"Tommy it's none of my business what you 'are' or 'aren't'. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a song to sing." Her tone was serious, so Tommy knew now was not the time to try to explain himself. He left without another word.

Jude soon heard Darius's proud voice booming through the microphone. She wasn't in the mood to pay attention to his little speech, and just waited for her cue: "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the newest sensation to grace our presence, Jude Harrison."

Jude walked out onto the stage amid bright lights that hurt her eyes, which momentarily subsided the pain in her heart. Standing in front of the MIC, Jude realized that singing this song will now just make her look utterly ridiculous in Tommy's eyes. The opening music for "Temporary Insanity" began, and out of desperation, she turned around to face her band.

"Guys, stop the song."

"Jude, what are you doing? We're live right now."

"I know…just start playing 'Let Me Fall' okay?"

All three of the musicians looked at each other confused, but they didn't have time to question it further since a very quiet crowd was staring intently. "Whatever you say." The new intro music began.

_I feel chained, chained down  
You shoved me to the ground  
I can't run, I can't shout  
Just let me out _

Tommy was confused. This wasn't a new song. They recorded it together a week ago. Why did she stop the first song from being played?

__

For someone heartless, this couldn't mean less  
Gonna push it in your face  
I'm only human  
And I've got something to say

Let me rise, let me fall  
Let me breathe  
I wanna lose control, I'm not afraid to lose it all  
Let me break, let me crawl  
Cause I'll get back up again if you let me fall  


Jude was singing this song with raw emotion. It spoke to her at this moment and she needed it to speak to Tommy so he wouldn't be worried with how she felt about her sister and him dating again.

_  
If I burn down in this fire  
Well, I got myself to blame  
I can't stop or give it up  
I need to feel the pain_

Can you hear me?  
Don't come near me  
You'll just get in my way  
I'm only human  
And there's nothing you can say

Let me rise, let me fall  
Let me breathe  
I wanna lose control, I'm not afraid to lose it all  
Let me break, let me crawl  
Cause I will get up again if you let me fall

Say you know who I am  
And what I'm about  
Then you'll understand that I feel alone  
I live my own life

Let me rise, let me fall  
Let me breathe  
I wanna lose control, I'm not afraid to lose it all  
Let me break, let me crawl  
Cause I will get up again if you let me fall

Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
If you let me fall  
If you let me  
If you let me fall  
If you let me fall

I will get up again if you let me fall  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah  
If you let me fall  
If you let me fall  
Let me fall

Applause was heard from everyone. Well, they obviously liked her song, so that should give her something to look forward to. Darius came back up on stage to join Jude.

"Alright, folks. You heard it first. That was our very own Jude Harrison belting it out to her new single, 'Let Me Fall'. Give it up again for Miss Harrison." The cheers grew louder as Jude's stomach felt hollower. Darius leaned in to whisper in Jude's ear. "Great job, superstar. The new CD you and Tommy are working on is gonna be a major success. I can feel it."

That was the last name Jude needed to hear at that moment. _Great. I guess it's back to playing pretend again if this album ever wants to be made._


	7. I'm Fried

**Part 7: I'm Fried**

Tommy was sitting in one of the chairs in Studio A at GMajor. It had been approximately 41 hours since the debacle at Darius' Valentine's Day party, which Tommy only knew off the top of his head because he hadn't been able to think of anything but that night for the past two days. His thoughts were so consumed by the disaster he accidentally created that he hasn't even slept in the last three days, and even though he showed up to work today, it didn't mean he brought his A-game with him.

One of Tommy's artists, Carly, wanted his help laying down what she hoped would be the final track for her album. She sang through the whole song without Tommy interrupting her once, which was a bit odd for his style.

"So, I guess that means you like it?" Carly was surprised by his lack of instruction and wanted some kind of feedback for her song, even if she had to squeeze it out of him. Tommy didn't respond though. He just continued to stare at the ground absent-mindedly. "Tommy, did you hear me? I would really like to finish this song up, I mean, I'm almost done with this freakin' thing…Earth to T-o-m-m-y?"

Tommy finally snapped out of his trance. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Have you taken a trip to la la land recently, cuz you were totally spacing on me a second ago."

Tommy began massaging his temples, attempting to clear his head. "Sorry, Car. I've just been thinking about a lot of shit, lately. We can start that song over again if you want." Tommy reached for the phono record so they could start from scratch.

"Okay. But feel free to tell me if you think the intro sucks or the chorus is too slow, cuz without your brutal criticism I'm lost…And no more thinking about whatever the hell it is you're thinking about. Apprehension is not a good look for you."

Tommy lightly chuckled at Carly's comment, but started to really think about what she had said. As much as he wanted to stop thinking about that night, it was near impossible for him to actually do so. So much of what happened didn't seem to make sense and it baffled him. Tommy didn't seem to know why he didn't just tell Sadie in the first place that he couldn't be anything more than just friends with her, why Jude changed the song she was going to perform at the very last minute, and especially why Jude said the things she said to him after her performance that night.

_As Darius, Jude, and the rest of the band walked off the stage to join the crowd, Jude made brief chit-chat with more guests to keep up her image, and then bolted out of the stuffy room without a moment's hesitation. She was trying to locate the existence of a bathroom in giant building they were in so she could finally be alone with her thoughts. However, when she turned into an unknown hallway, Tommy's prominent form was suddenly feet away from her and inching closer. Jude immediately turned and began speed walking in the opposite direction, but Tommy was quicker, and he was able to gently grab her arm before she could make her desperate escape._

"_Jude, please. I know you don't want to talk to me right now, but I really need you to just hear me out for a second so you're not mad at me for the rest of the month." Tommy let go of Jude's arm, hoping she wouldn't try and run again. She didn't._

"_I'm not mad, Tommy. I'm just unbelievably surprised that I spent the whole evening with you, yet you didn't even tell me you were dating my sister again." Jude was more sad than anything, but she wasn't going to let Tommy become aware of that fact. "I just…I thought we were friends…you know, _really_ good friends. And friends usually tell each other important things like, oh I don't know, a blossoming relationship with a close relative?"_

"_See, that's exactly my point, Jude. I didn't tell you, because there wasn't anything to tell. Sadie just thinks we're back together, but I never actually said anything to that affect." Tommy stared at Jude sincerely._

_Jude felt Tommy's sincerity and knew he was telling the truth, but knowing this wasn't just going to solve everything. "Okay, well if that _is_ the case, why didn't you tell her this?"_

_Tommy hunched his shoulders, unable to think of a proper response to this question. "I don't know. I sort of chickened out, I guess."_

_Jude began processing in her head everything Tommy had recently told her. There was a long silence until Jude decided she had something worth saying. "Maybe you chickened out because you _do_ want to get back with her…which, now that I think about it, wouldn't be that bad of an idea considering you already got Sadie's hopes up about the two of you. You can't just shoot her down now, Tommy…that would be way too cruel."_

"_I'm not sure I get what you're trying to say here, Jude." Tommy was puzzled by Jude's sudden change in demeanor. _

"_I'm saying…go take Sadie out for a cup of coffee. I know she'd really like the gesture. Now I, on the other hand, need to do some last minute mingling before crashing on my bed and sleeping through Tuesday. It has been a _very_ long day." Jude slowly began her trek back towards the room the party was being held in._

"_Jude?" The tenderness in Tommy's voice was enough to make Jude stop in her tracks, even though she wished her feet would take her anywhere but here. "What about us?" Jude closed her eyes tight after hearing Tommy ask the question, that, for the longest time, was so important to her. "I mean…we kissed."_

_Jude didn't want to face Tommy because she knew she would crack. So, she answered his question from exactly where she stood, with her back towards him. "A kiss is just a kiss, Tommy." Jude couldn't believe she was actually saying these words, because they weren't even close to being true. She was, apparently, stronger than she thought. "It was an accident…accidents happen when you're in closed corridors like that. But the sooner we can both forget it happened, the sooner we can work together again. Okay?"_

_Tommy was not expecting this confession, but didn't want to disregard her wishes. He said the only thing he could at the time. "Okay."_

_The clicking of Jude's retreating heels resounded in Tommy's head._

As much as Tommy had thought about this particular moment a lot recently, it, at least, wasn't heightened by Jude's presence. She wasn't intentionally avoiding Tommy—at least he didn't think that was the case—but Darius wanted Jude to promote her first single "Let Me Fall" to as many radio stations as possible, so that had kept her busy, and away from Tommy, for a few days.

Tommy did what Jude told him to do and took Sadie out to a café after the party, and it ended up being surprisingly fun. He could tell that Sadie had changed significantly; she wasn't the snobby, selfish teenager that he used to know. Other than a few guilty pleasures—53 pairs of shoes and an odd fascination with reality tv—Sadie had turned into someone who had a general thirst for knowledge and a need to nurture and care for others.

It was also very considerate of Sadie to let Jude move in with her when she finally got her own place. Actually, it was kind of amazing how the sisters' relationship was now, given the past quarrels that he recalled happening frequently between the two of them. Tommy wondered what changed Sadie's attitude toward her younger sister.

Tommy hadn't talked to Sadie since that night, because he still wasn't sure what he wanted to happen between them. He felt like dating Sadie was, in a way, like he was cheating on Jude, but choosing not to would break Sadie's heart. This was a decision he didn't want to make just yet.

Back to the present situation in the studio, Tommy focused his mind enough to help Carly with her last song. He then headed out of GMajor, in hopes of dousing down a few sleeping pills and staring at his bedroom ceiling until his eyelids get heavy enough to finally allow him a few moments of peace.

After sleeping for what seemed like three hours, but in actuality ended up being 16 hours, Tommy awoke with a clear mind and a few decisions that needed to be executed. He showered, got dressed, and drove his viper as quickly as he could to GMajor. Once there, the first stop he made was at the receptionist's desk.

"Hi."

"Hey, Tommy. We were wondering where you've been. You didn't show up for the meeting this morning."

"I know. I was kind of tired, so I slept in." Tommy paused for a second, preparing for what he was going to say to Sadie. "Look, I first want to apologize for the past couple of days. If it seemed like I was ignoring you, I wasn't. I just had a lot on my mind, that's all."

Sadie gave Tommy a concerned look. "I didn't think you were ignoring me. I was just worried something was wrong. But you're okay now?"

Tommy smiled. "Yeah. I'm doing a lot better, actually." He stuck his hands in his front pants pockets, which was something he always did when he was nervous. Sadie noticed and was intrigued. "Um, yeah. So, the second thing I wanted to talk to you about was…us."

Sadie maintained a straight face, so as not to misinterpret whatever he was going to say about 'them'. "Alright, what about us?"

"Well, I was just thinking that we haven't _officially_ gone on a date to, you know, mark the beginning of our new relationship."

Sadie grinned from ear to ear. "Pick a time and a place, and I'll show up."

"Great. Well, I'll call you later on tonight with the details. Sound good?"

Sadie nodded animatedly. "You bet."

Tommy started slowly walking backward. "Okay. I should probably get to work now, since I was a tad bit late. But I'll see you around." He turned on his heels and walked in the direction of Studio A, hoping to find Jude there so he could play out the second part of his plan.

The plan hit a glitch. Jude wasn't there. Once Tommy walked in, all he saw was his friend, Kwest, working with a new band. He did what he could to grab Kwest's attention and ask where Jude was.

"I think she's in Studio C."

"Thanks, man." Tommy left the room and began wondering why she chose to practice in the tiny, cluttered studio no one ever elects to use. _That girl better not be avoiding me._

When Tommy located the room, he pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind, distracting the blonde temporarily from her notebook. She was about to say something to Tommy but his lips were able to form words before she could. "I decided I'm not gonna let you speak right now. It is now _my_ turn, and you're gonna listen to everything I have to say."

Tommy allowed time for a slight pause to make sure she understood. "Now Jude, I'm real tired of playing your little games and having to chase after you constantly. We have a lot of work to do if you want this album finished in time for a release before the end of the year, and in order to accomplish that you need to stop running away and picking ridiculous fights with me. Now, since nothing _was_ set in stone earlier, I want you to be the first to know that your sister and I are seeing each other again. It was a mutual decision and we need to all act like adults about it."

Jude's only movement during this announcement was a slow shift of her eyes so she wouldn't have to remain looking at Tommy. He continued. "I also want you to know that…I miss you." Jude darted her eyes back up at Tommy upon hearing this. He sat down in a chair so he could be eye level with her. "Jude, you are my best friend. I love spending time with you and making music with you. In the past few days, I've even begun to miss your criticizing jokes about my boy band past."

Jude found herself cracking a smile. "I miss you too. And I have to admit, my songwriting skills have improved a lot since I started working with you."

"Well, I can't deny that this gift of mine has helped many an artist over the years."

Jude playfully kicked Tommy in the shin, but not hard enough to cause any real pain. For the next few hours, Jude showed Tommy some of her old songs, as well as new ideas that were recently popping in her head, and Tommy helped her with making them come to life.

Jude lay on her bed, the sounds of _Tommy_ by The Who echoing throughout her room. Even though she got Tommy back as a friend, it still hurt her to see him with her sister. The pair went out every night he wasn't working with Jude, so Jude tried to milk the studio time she had for as long as she could.

Initially, Jude thought she'd be okay with Sadie and Tommy dating again, especially since she gave him the go ahead. But the more time went by and the more often Tommy 'slept' over, the more Jude's sadness and loneliness grew. Things hadn't turned out how she wanted, and she felt like she only had herself to blame for that.

Jude awoke one morning to Sadie making final touches on breakfast and Tommy sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. Jude rolled her eyes because she didn't know Tommy was here but should have assumed.

Tommy caught Jude's little eye roll out of the corner of his eye. "And what was _that_ look for?"

Jude didn't think anyone had seen her, but she thought up a quick lie. "Just the fact that you reading a newspaper, Quincy. I always thought you couldn't read."

"Cute." Tommy didn't even look away from his reading material when he said this.

Sadie finally turned around and put two plates down on the table. "Okay. Breakfast is ready!"

Jude took a seat at the table across from Tommy. "Wow. Only you can make breakfast sound so exciting and so scary at the same time, Sadie." Jude noticed Tommy's body jolt a little, which she assumed was a laugh he was trying to prevent from coming out.

Sadie turned back to get her plate before joining the others at the table. "Well, if you haven't noticed already, I made you're favorite: French toast with a side of hash browns."

"Actually, if you remembered correctly, I said I liked French toast and hash browns on Wednesdays. And today's Thursday, so…darn it, Sadie, you missed it by one day."

Tommy couldn't hide his laughter as easily this time, and Sadie just briefly glared at him before looking back at Jude. "Why don't you lay off the sarcasm pills you're taking for a little while, okay? Just eat your breakfast; you need your strength for that history test you have today."

Jude pushed her plate toward the center of the table. "That's okay. I'm actually not that hungry this morning. I should probably start getting ready for school anyway."

Sadie froze mid-chew. She continued chewing and swallowed before speaking again. "So it's true then?"

Jude was confused by what Sadie was asking. "Yes it is. I usually do take _at least_ 45 minutes to get ready for school in the mornings. Which would make now the perfect time to start this morning's routine."

"Jude, stop goofing off for just _one_ second, please." Jude could tell Sadie's tone was serious, so she kept her mouth shut. "I was skeptical at first, what with the couple of times this occurred last week, but I take the time to make your favorite meal and you won't even touch it." Tommy now noticed the exchange between the two women and listened intently to find out why Sadie looked so mad and sad at the same time. "I thought you said it was gonna happen anymore?"

Jude instantly knew to what Sadie was referring, and her eyes grew wide with shock. "Sadie! It's not happening again, okay? Oh my god! I can't believe you're actually saying this!"

"Well, you're showing all the tell-tale signs, Jude. I'm just looking out for you because you know how much I care about you."

Tommy gazed back and forth between each of them, looking more confused than he was previously. He felt like they were speaking in some kind of code so that he couldn't understand. "Uh, guys? What's going on?"

Both of the sisters responded in unison. "Nothing."

Jude threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh. You know what? I'm _not_ in the mood for this right now. I'm going to take a shower." She looked back at Sadie. "I've got a big history test today and I can't be late for it." Jude stalked her way to the bathroom around the corner.

After a couple of seconds of silence, Sadie turned toward Tommy, who thought he was finally going to get some answers. "Tommy, I think you'd better go. I kind of need to talk to Jude alone, if you don't mind."

Even though Tommy was extremely curious to know what they were arguing about, he wasn't going to pry into their personal affairs. He got up from his spot at the table. "That's cool. I should probably get to the studio anyway. I got to find time for my other artists before Jude arrives after school lets out." Tommy made his way to the front door, but didn't leave before glancing in the direction of the bathroom. He started to feel like, for some reason, he should be concerned about Jude.

"I'll see you later at work."

Tommy looked back over at Sadie in the kitchen. "Okay. Bye." And he left the Harrison home so the sisters could work out whatever it was they needed to work out.


	8. Bigmouth Strikes Again

Chapter 8:

**Sorry this one took so long. Business school is a drag and a half. For the next couple of weeks it'll probably be the same way, maybe a chapter a week if I'm lucky.**

**I loved how many people left comments for the last chapter. I appreciate any kind of feedback, critical or not. I also want to add that I noticed a lot of you seemed a little pissed about Tommy and Sadie being together right now. Well, all I have to say is…don't worry.**

**Chapter 8: Bigmouth Strikes Again**

Tommy was patiently—or at least what he thought was patient—waiting in Studio A for Jude. Her school had let out about 20 minutes ago, which meant she should be arriving at GMajor any minute. He hoped that sometime during tonight's session he might be able to finagle a confession out of Jude regarding this morning's ambiguous conversation.

Jude finally sauntered into the studio, clumsily threw her backpack on the chair Tommy currently occupied, and made a start for the sound booth. She stopped in her tracks when she heard the oafish grunt that sounded from Tommy's mouth and feigned being concern for him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Tommy. I didn't even see you there. How awful of me."

"Relax, Harrison. No harm done. To be truthfully, the reason you couldn't see me was because I had my invisibility cloak on. I find myself very into 'stealth' these days."

Jude rolled her eyes. "I bet." She reached for her backpack, which was thrown onto the floor by Tommy, and gave it a new home on the nearby couch. "So, I have a new song that I want to work on today."

Tommy looked at Jude curiously. "Okay, but we have a couple other songs that need some final touches. Maybe we should finish those up first."

"But I feel really inspired today, and this song fits my mood perfectly. If I lose my music 'muse' before this song is finished…then the song might possibly live an unrefined and dreary life." Jude grabbed her notebook, along with the studio's guitar, and sat in the chair neighboring Tommy. She flipped to the page she desired. "Okay, so I'm warning you before hand that it's really rough, considering it was written today during history but…"

"Wait. History? Didn't you have an exam in that class today?"

Jude was annoyed by Tommy's fatherly tone. "Don't worry, Pops. I'm not a nitwit. I finished the test early because it was exceptionally easy, and then I just started thinking these lyrics in my head. So shut up and listen." Jude began strumming the guitar.

_If I don't cry, do you think I don't feel?  
If I look away  
It doesn't mean I don't see  
And just because I want, someone when I'm alone  
Doesn't mean I'm helpless, and that I can't stand on my own  
How far can we go before we break  
How long can I wait_

_  
How strong do you think I am  
How much can I take of this  
Am I a rock or a rose or a fist  
Or the breath at the end of a kiss  
How deep do you wanna go  
Cause I'll go there if I can  
You make it harder than it has to be  
How strong, how strong  
Do you think I am_

_  
It's so hard to tell  
What's in your heart  
What you keep to yourself  
Is tearing me apart  
And should I be afraid  
To dream about you  
And if you feel the same  
Whachya gonna do_

"And then it would go into another bridge, followed by the chorus, blah blah blah, you get the idea. The only thing I'm having trouble with is a good hook to place at the end. I have the two verses and a strong chorus, but I feel like it needs a little something extra. What do you think?"

Tommy had been staring at Jude deep in thought ever since he first heard her sing the chorus. That particular part of the song, as well as the second verse, troubled him a little, because he almost believed she was singing about him. Tommy didn't to read too much into its content, but if what he was thinking was the case, he'd want to act as soon as possible to console her. Tommy viewed the song as a sad and desperate cry for help.

Tommy snapped out of his trance—which had been occurring frequently as of late—when he heard Jude ask for his opinion of the song. "Uh, well…it's really good so far. I don't know, maybe if you put a little…Jude, do you mind if I ask what the song is about?"

Surprised by the question, Jude still managed to find a reasonable response. "Well, it's mainly about Sadie being a bitch to me this morning, and always treating me like a child. And then I sort of threw in that last part because people tend to like songs about broken relationships, I guess."

Tommy knew that Jude mentioning Sadie and this morning's incident was his way into the conversation he was hoping to have. "You know, you shouldn't talk about your sister like that. She's let you stay with her for the past four years, and you should really start showing your appreciation of that. And as for this morning…well, it seemed to me that Sadie was just worried about you. There's nothing wrong with a little sisterly concern. And besides, it's not like there's anything really serious going on…is there?"

Jude could smell Tommy's divertive tactics from a mile away. "What happened this morning is nothing your pretty little head needs to worry about. So, let's just get back to working on this song, okay?"

"But, Jude." Tommy noticed Jude turn her head to distract herself with something on the sound board as an excuse to not have to look at him. "Hey, we're friends, remember? I want you to feel comfortable with telling me anything because I want to be there for you whenever you need me." Tommy discontinued his 'friends' speech to give Jude an opportunity to possibly confide in him.

Jude didn't want to give in, and after making that decision, she suddenly formed a new way to divert their conversation. A slight smile danced across her lips, which Tommy noticed and was truly puzzled by.

Jude made eye contact with Tommy again. "You know what, Tommy, you're right. I want to tell you everything." She looked at the guitar in her hands and positioned her fingers to where they needed to be. "And I think the best way to describe what I'm feeling is through a song; a song that has a deep message that is very close to my heart." As Jude plucked the strings of the guitar, a somewhat familiar tune hit Tommy's ears. He knew he had heard this music before, but when? Tommy got his answer as Jude sang lyrics that matched the tune.

_I was adrift on an ocean all alone  
You came and rescued me  
When I was far from home  
A rush of love around my heart  
Just as I fell apart_

Tommy just shook his head. "Okay, Jude. I get it. Ha, ha, the joke's on me." Jude didn't want to stop even though it was becoming increasingly difficult to sing due to her stifled laughter.

_  
Nobody ever cared as much for me  
Nobody's touched my heart and healed my pain  
You've picked up the pieces and put me back together again_

"Jude, cut it out. This is seriously cruel."

Jude finally chose to spare Tommy from anymore pain and looked up at him with a delighted smirk on her face. "But, Tommy. You don't understand how much your words spoke to me. I mean, when do I _not_ feel like I'm floating in the middle of an ocean…all alone?"

Tommy didn't want to continue this any further, and he knew he had no other options but to fold. "How about we finish that song of yours?"

"Why Tommy, darling, I thought you'd never ask."

Tommy shook his head but, all the while, smiled at his defeat. If he was going to lose a battle of wits to someone, he was glad it was Jude. "Okay, so I was thinking your hook could have something to do with finally letting yourself go, and what happens after you…"

Tommy, as always, was able to help Jude find the edge she needed for her song. He didn't forget about their conversation, though. He actually made an interesting observation about Jude's responses to serious matters. Whenever confronted with something she didn't want to talk about, Jude would constantly make jokes to try and change the mood of the conversation. As much as Tommy loved Jude's sarcastic wit, it was kind of sad that she used it to mask her emotions. She was obviously hiding something, which Tommy was eager—but not pushy enough—to find out, and, unfortunately, hiding her feelings had become almost ritualistic to her.

A couple of _long_ nights later it became obvious that Jude needed a break from song-making. So, to make the best of this brief musical hiatus, Tommy chose to take both Harrison sisters out to dinner. Sadie was beyond thrilled; Jude was…meh. She felt like she was going with them on one of their dates, and anyone who is anyone knows that being the third wheel, for lack of a better term, sucks monkey balls.

When Tommy told the girls he was taking them out to a jazz club, Jude felt a little more at ease because at least this way she could distract herself by gazing at the big, brass instruments.

Tommy, Sadie, and Jude all found their seats at a little round table in the center of the room, close enough to hear the music being played onstage but far enough to engage in a conversation without screaming.

Tommy looked over at Jude, who seemed completely mesmerized by the atmosphere. He leaned in so that Jude could hear his hushed tones. "You know, gawking is commonly frowned up in civilizations…primarily because it freaks people out so much."

Jude finally tore her eyes from the scene and gave Tommy an incredulous look. "For the record, I am not 'gawking'. I am simply admiring my surroundings. Is that so wrong?" Tommy shook his head in response. "It's not every day you get to dine in an underground venue reminiscent of the swing era that was once occupied by _the_ Billie Holiday."

Tommy adored the mystified look on Jude's face. "It is a pretty snazzy place."

"I dare say one of the snazziest."

Sadie rolled her eyes then glanced at the menu as she decided to include herself in the conversation. "I swear, it's as if the two of you speak a different language. Who says snazzy, anyway?"

"If I may be so bold," Jude began as her defense to Sadie's question, "I'm fairly confident that Tommy was the one who snazz-tastically started it." Tommy threw a breadstick at Jude for her smart-ass comment. Jude ducked just in time to avoid Tommy's ammo and began laughing at her own cleverness.

Tommy wasn't done yet. "Well, what can I say, Jude? I pre-snazzed it up just for you."

Jude instantly caught on to his game. "I hope you're not implying that your ways are snazzier than mine. It simply can't be done, young squire."

"Wow, Jude. I'm quite dis-snazzified by your statement. I would have thought you'd have a little more snazz-ation than that."

"Oh! I see how it is. You're pulling out the big guns with your double snazz. Well, I've got news for you, buster…"

"Oh my god!" Sadie's booming voice interrupted Tommy and Jude's mock argument, as well as turned a few other heads in the crowded club. Sadie slammed her menu back onto the table and glared continuously at both of the individuals at her table. "The next person who says the word 'snazz' in any of its neurotic forms will wish they'd never been born."

Tommy and Jude both had serious expressions on their faces, but it was all shot to hell when Jude couldn't keep her mouth shut. "A good pistol-whipping would have been a sufficient punishment." Tommy couldn't contain himself any longer and soon burst out laughing. _Super Troopers_ was one of Tommy's favorite movies, so he caught on to Jude's reference automatically.

After his laughter subsided, Tommy kept the wheels turning. "Hey Jude, I was doing this crossword this morning and I got stuck on this one word. It rhymes with jazz and the first two letters of the word are S-N. Do you know what it could be?"

Sadie glared daggers at Tommy, but he was able to avoid it long enough to _hopefully_ transfer her negative energy back over to Jude. Jude pretended to think really hard. "Hmm…rhymes with jazz…S-N…Oh! Could it be snifflazz?"

"Ooh. Good guess, but it only has five letters. What do you think, Sadie?"

Sadie now refused to look at either and continued to read the menu, even though she had already been through the whole thing once. "I think the two of you need serious help if this is the only source of entertainment you can create for yourselves."

Jude tried to lighten Sadie's mood. "Oh come on, Sades. We were just messing with you. Besides, what else are we gonna do until the band comes on."

As if on cue, a group of men appear on stage, a spotlight blazing down upon them, and soft applause fills the room. They meticulously tune their instruments, and within a couple of minutes the sweet sound of music cascaded through the air and found its way to Jude's soul. Every instrument was an integral part of the pleasing and unified sound these musicians had created. She hoped that someday her music could warm people's hearts as this music did to her.

For the next 10 minutes, Jude's only capabilities involved staring at the profound jazz musicians before her, while Sadie and Tommy had their own, private conversation. Once out of her captivating trance, Jude turned around to face her party, and immediately noticed the additional person. A waiter was hovering over Sadie as she told him her order. Tommy went next, and, eventually, all eyes were on Jude. She just sat their silently, realizing she hadn't even looked at the menu with all the distractions that had occurred tonight.

Tommy interrupted Jude from her thoughts. "Jude, do you know what you want to eat?"

Instead of making up a stupid excuse, Jude quickly snatched the menu placed in front of her. "Sorry, guys. I haven't even looked yet. I'm gonna need another minute." The waiter said he would come back for Jude's order later and left to start Tommy and Sadie's food. "Tonight's been so much fun, I haven't even thought of food," Jude explained as she absent-mindedly glanced at a couple of items on the menu.

"Well, if you're gonna end up not having a 'taste' for anything later on, maybe it's not even worth it to order." Sadie's words rang with an almost bitter tone through Jude's ears.

Jude could not believe Sadie was bringing this up again, especially with Tommy in earshot…again. "Hey, Sadie. You know if you start getting hungry before your meal gets here, you could always bite me!"

Sadie looked down at the ground in shame, as if suddenly realizing that what she said was wrong and inappropriate.

Jude was obviously still enraged by Sadie's comment. She picked up the menu again and picked out some of the items. "Let's see…they have burgers…pizza…ooh! Fettuccini, that sounds good…steak with roasted potatoes. You know what, I really can't decide so how about I just order it all." Jude glanced over at Sadie and felt the sarcasm rolling off her tongue. "Would that make you happy, Sadie? Because, to be honest, that's all I _truly_ care about in this world…making sure my only sister is, at long last, satisfied with who I am."

Sadie could tell Jude was way past being angry. "Jude, I…I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking, 'how can I make my younger sister look more like a fool?' Well, congratulations, Mr. Hyde, you've outdone yourself this time."

Jude got up from her chair, and it was only now that Tommy made a reaction. Tommy was so engrossed in the sisters' 'lifetime movie' argument, that he didn't feel the need to interject until now. He stood up immediately after Jude did. "Jude, don't let this ruin our evening. The band's just started, and we haven't even eaten yet. Please sit back down."

Jude gazed intently at Tommy. "I'm sorry, Tommy," Jude began before looking back over at her sister, "but I've lost my appetite." She pushed back her chair and headed toward the exit.

Tommy was about to go after her, but an arm halted his pursuits. "Don't, Tom," Sadie managed as she attempted to force him back into his seat, "the best thing for her right now is to blow off steam."

Tommy was about to settle on agreeing with his girlfriend, until he realized that after witnessing two of their fights he was still completely in the dark. He whipped his head around to face Sadie, aggravation being his main disposition. "Alright, fine. I'll allow an 18 year-old girl—just this once—to wander the streets alone and 'blow off steam' if you can answer me this one question: Why the hell do you keep yelling at Jude regarding her eating habits? Something's going on and I want to find out what this is right now!

Tommy's angry and concerned words made at clear that she was not leaving the club until he got his answer. Sadie closed her eyes briefly, before slowly opening them again. "Okay, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone else because Jude is…embarrassed about it."

"Your secret's safe with me."

Sadie entered her apartment later that night and found silence. She wondered if Jude made it home yet, and got her answer when she noticed Jude's purse lying on the coffee table in the living room. Sadie made the slow trek to Jude's room. The door was closed, and probably locked, as a nonverbal signal for Sadie to 'keep out'. She tried the door knob anyway and, surprisingly, Jude hadn't locked it.

Sadie carefully pushed the door to the teenager's bedroom open, and crept in the darkness over to the bed, where Jude's petite form was curled up underneath the blankets. After a momentary pause, Sadie climbed into the bed with Jude's back facing her.

All that existed between them for five minutes was breathing. Sadie knew Jude was awake, but Jude wasn't ready to admit that in case she wanted to 'talk'. Sadie didn't want quiet anymore. "When you left the club, Tommy forced me to tell him what are arguments have been about." Jude didn't know where Sadie was going with this, but chose not to talk, prodding Sadie to continue. "I just couldn't keep avoiding his questions anymore. He's asked me a couple of times every day since that talk during breakfast."

Jude had now also felt her silence was unnecessary. "And?"

"And, I told him a lie, of course. I had to give him something. He accepted my answer pretty easily, too." Sadie began idly stroke Jude's long, blonde hair.

"What did you tell him?"

"I _may_ have told Tommy that you have…diabetes?" Sadie could feel Jude's back lightly convulse, which Sadie assumed was silent laughter.

Jude couldn't believe that the best lie her sister could come up with was…well, that. "And Tommy actually took the bait on that one? That's kind of uncharacteristic of him."

"Well, I made it sound very serious and told him how important it was for you to eat well-balanced meals each day." Sadie continued to play with Jude's hair, but stopped talking so she could change the tone of the conversation. "Listen, Jude, I…I don't want to sound overbearing and repetitive, but you're my only sister and I love you more than you'll ever know. Just please don't give me a reason to be scared again, okay?"

Jude knew Sadie was going to be even more persistent unless she got the answer she wanted. "Okay."


	9. 19th Nervous Breakdown

**Chapter 9: 19****th**** Nervous Breakdown**

_On the street I'm waiting  
In my heart it's raining_

Your eyes are holding up the sky  
Your eyes make me weak, I don't know why  
Your eyes make me scared to tell the truth  
I thought my heart was bullet-proof  
Now I'm dancing on the roof  
And everybody knows I'm…

Tommy stopped the backing music and spoke to Jude through the intercom. "Jude what's up? That take was going really well. Why'd you stop?"

"Sorry, my heart's just not in it right now. I'm actually kind of tired of singing; can we take a break?" This was Jude's front for Tommy. The truth was she didn't want to sing the song for him ever…because it was _about_ him. It made Jude uncomfortable singing about Tommy's eyes, while glancing at them every few seconds, knowing she had no right to gaze at them longingly. The only way to record this song was if Kwest produced it instead of Tommy.

Tommy sighed, but eventually gave in. He could physically tell that she was exhausted. He hit the intercom switch again. "Alright, but I'd like to finish this song up sometime this week. We've been working on it for too long. Although, I will say this, it's one of your best yet." She slouched on her stool, feeling even more uncomfortable than before. "I'll order some food."

25 minutes and two cartons of Chinese food later, Tommy and Jude were sprawled out on the floor of Studio A happily amused with their own form of entertainment. When it was just the two of them, hanging out like this, it was as if no one else existed. Those non-existent individuals were better off, considering they probably wouldn't understand the unusual conversations Jude and Tommy had.

"Okay…is this person famous?" Tommy asked as he shoved a hearty forkful of kung-pao chicken into his mouth. Jude simply shook her head violently in response. Taking a minute to swallow his food, he thought of his follow-up question. "Have I ever seen him?"

Jude looked at the ceiling with a skeptical brow. "Maybe. I don't watch you every minute of everyday, so I'm not entirely sure."

"Hey, you're cheating. You can only say yes, no, sometimes, or maybe. Other than that, keep your trap shut."

Jude looked at Tommy with an amused grin. "Wow, your hard-ass, competitive interior not only shows through music but also in stupid and childish games like 20 Questions. Your maturity astonishes me." Tommy gave Jude a menacing look and pointed his finger at her, an indication that she still shouldn't be talking. "Fine, sorry."

"Two more questions left." Tommy was lost in thought for a minute. "Is it even a he?"

"Sometimes."

"So, you're saying there is more than one person?"

"Yes. You loose."

"What?" Tommy stared at Jude in a state of confusion until it dawned on him why he 'lost'. "No, that last question wasn't for you to answer. It was more rhetorical. I was thinking out loud. I still get one more question."

"Nope. Game over. I win." Jude just sat in front of Tommy looking very smug about her victory.

He wasn't in the mood to fight this anymore. "Fine, whatever. So who was the person, or rather 'people', you were thinking of?"

Jude replied very nonchalantly. "A Jehovah's witness."

Tommy gawked at Jude for the next 20 seconds. He was so dumbfounded by Jude's response that he wasn't paying attention to anything else, including the noodle hanging from his lip. When Jude saw this, she burst out laughing. She wished she had brought a camera with her because the expression on his face was absolutely priceless.

After contemplating for a little while longer—and realizing food was hanging out of his mouth—Tommy was finally able to find his voice. "Are you a fucking psycho?"

Jude was momentarily taken aback. "Wow. Someone's in need of a bar of soap."

Tommy ignored her remark. "But seriously, Jude…seriously?"

"What are you going on about?"

"No one in their right mind would choose a Jehovah's Witness, let only possibly guess it. It defeats the purpose of the game."

Jude put a hand up to stop Tommy's ranting. "Okay, first of all, you of all people should know that I am not, nor have I ever been, in my right mind. Second, I believe the purpose of the game is to win. You couldn't guess what it was within 20 questions…therefore, I win."

Tommy considered her explanation for a second. "All I can say is 'touché' in relation to the first part of your statement, 'you suck' in regards to the second."

Jude laughed sadistically. "Ah, I love how easily I can get under your skin. It's a gift I wouldn't trade even for a bag of Peachy O's…maybe for two though."

"New topic." As Tommy pondered another conversation topic, he noticed Jude hadn't actually eaten much of the Chinese food in front of her. Most of the time, Jude just shifted the food around in the carton. He also noticed that, whether or not it was due to her current exhaustion, Jude looked slightly thinner and her skin wasn't glowing as vibrantly as it usually did. He made a mental note not to work her too hard for the next few weeks. "Are you on bad terms with sweet and sour chicken right now?"

Jude was absent-mindedly gazing at the fried chicken dipped in red sauce. At Tommy's comment she looked up. "What?" Her brain finally processed what he had just asked. "Oh…I'm not sure. It tastes different for some reason."

Tommy wasn't about to get on Jude's back about how she should be eating. He already knew the consequences of Sadie's actions, and didn't really want to be in the path of Jude's wrath. Sadie had also told him not to talk about it in front of her, so—for once—he felt okay with doing what he was told. "Hey, I don't blame you. To be honest, I don't think anyone _really_ knows what they put in this junk. Chinese Food is heart attack and food-poisoning city." Tommy then stuffed more food into his mouth.

Jude shook her head in disgust. "Says the man cramming an entire carton down his esophagus. Are you fearless, Quincy?"

"Unequivocally. Meager things like a stopping heart couldn't possibly fathom how to defeat me. I'm practically a superhero."

"Tights and a cape, my favorite kind of man." Jude's comment instigated Tommy to gaze at Jude lovingly. She reciprocated, but within seconds new it had to stop. She haphazardly focused her attention on her uneaten food again. "So…I believe you were trying to come up with a new topic."

Tommy understood her intentions. "Right. Let's see here." They both sat in silence thinking of something to talk about. Tommy abruptly smacked his forehead as if he felt stupid for not thinking of this before. "How about music?"

Jude looked at Tommy for a second, waiting for him to expand. When he didn't, she put her two cents in. "Tommy, that's like the most vague discussion topic ever. What _about_ music do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was thinking we could play that game we did when you were 11. I'll tell you stuff I'm into now, and vice versa, and then we'll listen and rate them accordingly." Tommy looked at Jude with raised eyebrows, waiting for approval.

"I guess bringing back a childhood tradition does have potential." Tommy grinned knowingly. Jude just rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll start…um…_Remember That I Love You_ by Kimya Dawson, _Exposition_ by this Chicago band called Wax on Radio, and _Doolittle_ by Pixies."

"You can't use Pixies. You've been listening to those albums since you were 10. That's not something you've recently got into."

Jude stuck her tongue out at Tommy, and then thought for a minute about what her third album choice would be. "Fine. My last one's _Ghosts_ by Sleeping at Last."

"Hm…out of the three artists you chose, I've only heard of one. Kimya Dawson's the shit."

Jude nodded her head fervently. "I know. She's like a chick with balls. I know Wax on Radio because I have a friend in Chicago and she told me all about them. They've got a very experimental sound to them. You know how I feel about bands that create their own sound."

"Pants off dance off?"

"I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response." Tommy was laughing at this point, so Jude waited until he was done amusing himself before continuing. "Anyway, the other band, Sleeping at Last, is…well, the best way to describe them is Radiohead meets soft Christian rock."

Tommy tilted his head to the side like a puppy, which Jude found adorable. "That doesn't sound appealing."

"It's a surprisingly cool combination. Some of the songs are pretty haunting, especially their title track."

A sigh escaped Tommy's lips, not unnoticed by Jude. "Okay, I'll give them a try. And now it's my turn…I gotta try and think of ones you don't know."

"I bet it can't be done," stated Jude rather smugly. "I have been known as quite the Music Guru around these parts."

"Alright then, ego maniac…how about _Rubberneck_ by Toadies?"

"Possum Kingdom's a bitchin' song."

"Damn it." Tommy put his fingers to his lips, lost in thought and determined to stump Jude. "The Living End…their self-titled debut."

"Saw them play a couple years back. In my opinion, the very definition of punk music."

Tommy slammed his fist on his leg. As the Magic 8 Ball would say, "Outlook Not Good." Tommy noticed Jude's effervescent smirk. "Hey, wipe that grin off your cute little face. You haven't won yet. I still have one more shot."

Jude pretended to yawn out of boredom. "Whatever you say, Opie. Just make it snappy. I don't have all night to listen to you attempt to beat me at something."

Tommy was determined to not go down without a fight. Suddenly, as if a light bulb was hovering over his head, he got the answer he was looking for. "How about _Germ-Free Adolescents_ by X-ray Specs?"

Jude opened her mouth to respond cockily, and then paused for a moment as a frown began to appear on her face. She slowly pressed her lips together again, a sign of defeat. Tommy smiled victoriously. Jude was done with being rendered speechless. "Alright, dork. You got me this time. But don't think of it as a usually occurrence."

Tommy could tell that deep down Jude was disappointed with being trumped. He stood up and stretched his hands out to help Jude up as well. She obliged and before they knew it they were staring at each other in silence, while Tommy absent-mindedly tucked a strand of hair behind Jude's ear. The pinkish hue developing in her cheeks was obvious. Jude quickly looked away, before anything else could happen.

Her discomfort was recognized by Tommy so he talked to make her forget. "I'll tell you what. How about we call a truce in regards to our music know-how war? These competitions have no point. The only thing necessary for us to know is that we're both superior as music experts compared to the rest of the world."

"Well put." Jude's newfound smile made her whole face light up. She suddenly felt the urge to hug Tommy, so she gave into her impulses just this once. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you, Quincy." She spoke the words softly and into his chest.

The feel of Jude's petite hands wrapped around Tommy's torso was a surprise to him, but one he welcomed. Her words were full of honesty and compassion and he wished they could just stay in that moment forever.

The next two weeks dragged on monotonously for Tommy. Come into work, record with artists, record extra with Jude, and then either be hauled somewhere by Sadie or go home to sleep. The only change during that time was Jude. At first it was only Tommy that noticed the change in her appearance, but eventually interns became skeptical and even Darius told Jude to go home early on numerous occasions because she looked ill. Jude, of course, ignored the questioning looks and continued to be professional.

Jude hadn't sung in a few days due to her persistent writing frenzy. Tommy was currently trying to convince Jude to get in the studio and actually record some of the stuff she had written.

"Come on, Harrison. If you want your future fans to be able to hear these oh-so wonderful songs of yours, the key is to sing them into a mic so I can record them. Otherwise, how is everyone gonna know what you've got?" Tommy then used his signature look on the 18 year-old to try and make her give in to his request.

Jude wasn't feeling too hot, and singing was the last thing on her mind. But the primary thing that was on her mind was Tommy, and she found it very difficult to say no to him when he looked at her that way. "You're a dill weed, you know that?"

Tommy's expression changed from allure to perplexity as he helped her off the couch. "Hm. Remind me to add that to the list of names I never thought I'd hear someone call me."

Once in Studio A, both persons segregated to their usual spots in the room. "So, superstar," Tommy began as he got himself situated in his chair, "what song will we be putting down this evening?"

Jude really didn't care. She was just doing this to please Tommy. "I don't know…let's just do 'Time to be Your 21'. SME made a rough backing track for it so I could work on vocals. It's at the top of the stack on the left side of the soundboard."

Tommy retrieved the CD and put it in its proper place. "Alright, whenever you're ready." Jude nodded and seconds later the music filled her ears.

_You never lied to me not once  
It's not your fault that I can't trust  
It's in my past, it's in my path and…_

Jude stopped singing and put a hand to her head. Tommy was showed concern for Jude's action. "Jude, you okay? Look, you don't have to sing tonight. Why don't you go home and get some rest."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. My head's just hurting a little." Jude took a couple of deep breaths and tried to clear her head. "See? All better now. Just play the track from the top again." Tommy did as Jude asked but kept a weary eye on her through the glass.

_You never lied to me not once  
It's not your fault that I can't trust  
It's in my past, it's in my path and I can't go there  
Making a mess out of this game  
To see it all go up in flames  
So tired of being ruthless and reckless_

Time to be your only one  
To almost be your way too young  
Time to crash into the sun  
Time to be your 21  
Time to dream that love will last  
Time to drive my car too fast  
Time to walk before I run  
Time to…

Before the rest of the words had a chance to come out of Jude's mouth, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"Jude!" Tommy was out of his chair and on the other side of the glass partition in seconds. He kneeled on the ground next to Jude and slightly raised her upper half so he could rest her on his lap. "Jude? Jude, come on. Wake up." She wouldn't budge. Tommy turned his head towards the door, hoping someone would hear him. "Somebody call an ambulance!"

On the way to the emergency room, Tommy called Sadie to inform her of what was happening since she wasn't at work to witness the ordeal. She didn't answer her phone so he left a frantic voicemail instead.

Tommy exited the emergency vehicle after the paramedics wheeled Jude out. They all stampeded through the large doors of the emergency room. Tommy kept stealing glances at Jude's lifeless form, hoping that one of the times he looked she would suddenly open her eyes. His hopes diminished.

Soon the doctors took over and the paramedics left. It was at this point that a nurse stopped Tommy from going any further with Jude. "I'm sorry sir, but you're going to have to wait here. Now if you could just remain calm, a doctor will be with you shortly to ask you a few questions." Tommy didn't like this arrangement, but knew it wasn't a good idea to fight it.

He paced anxiously up and down the hall for minute—that seemed like hours—until, sure enough, a middle-aged man in a white coat with multi-colored pens in his breast pocket approached Tommy's edgy form. "Are you with the young lady that just came in?"

"Yes. Her name's Jude…Jude Harrison. Is she okay?" Tommy didn't remember the last time he was filled with so much fear.

"She has regained consciousness."

Tommy's relief washed over him like a monsoon. "Oh, thank god."

The doctor then pulled one of the colorful pens out of his pocket and made visible the clipboard he was holding behind his back. "I am concerned though, at why this happened. Her blackout lasted longer then usual, and I was hoping you could provide me with any information that could prevent a future incident from occurring."

"Of course." Tommy gaped at the doctor, waiting for his first question.

"Is she currently, or has she ever been, subject to substance abuse?"

"No!" Tommy looked at the withered man in front of him incredulously. To be truthful, he wasn't entirely sure whether Jude has taken drugs at all, but he was fairly certain _that_ would not have been the cause of her fainting.

The doctor wrote something on his clipboard before continuing. "Does she have any ailments or conditions that we should be made aware about?"

Tommy thought for a moment before replying. "She has diabetes."

"A diabetic?" The man was about to write something else down, but a soft, female voice stopped him.

"She's not a diabetic."

Both Tommy and the short doctor peered around to locate where the voice was coming from. Their eyes both landed on Sadie. The doctor spoke first. "I'm sorry, miss, but who are you?"

Sadie took slow steps toward the two men. "I'm the girl's sister." She glanced at Tommy, who had a puzzled expression that didn't plan on vanishing. She then turned her eyes back to the man with the PhD. "She doesn't have diabetes. The problem is lack of nutrition. You see, Jude has suffered from multiple eating disorders in the past, and I'm afraid she has gone into a relapse."

Tommy was speechless as he stared at Sadie unblinkingly. The doctor nodded his head as realization came to him. "I see. Miss, if you could come with me, there are a few important documents I will need for you to fill out regarding your sister." Sadie looked up at Tommy one last time—only to find vacant eyes—before heading down the hallway with the man in the white coat.

The next morning, Tommy went back to the hospital. After recovering from his initial shock over Sadie's truthful statement, Tommy went through a whole range of emotions. His thoughts were racing around so fast, and he knew he wasn't going to be much help to Jude in her present state, so he decided to leave and attempt sleep. Now Tommy was sitting in a cold, plastic chair with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, waiting to visit his Jude.

The same nurse that stopped him in the hall last night came out of Jude's room to talk to Tommy. "I'm afraid she does not wish to have any visitors right now." Tommy's face sunk. The nurse observed this behavior and felt a twinge of empathy for the young man. "If you would like, I could give her those flowers for you."

Tommy didn't understand why Jude didn't want to see him, but he wasn't about to waste the flowers he bought specifically for her. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks." He handed the woman the bouquet and turned around to exit the depressing medical building.

Jude sat up in her bed as her mother continued to gush over her. "Mom, I'm okay. I'm just a stupid teenager who did a _really_ stupid thing. I realize now that my selfish thoughts aren't worth causing you guys this kind of pain." Jude addressed the last part to her father and sister as well, who were sitting in chairs on the other side of the bed.

"Honey," Jude's father initiated before getting up to stand by his youngest, "we just don't want to see you so sad and unhappy with yourself. You are honestly the best person I've ever known, and I don't want you thinking any differently."

"Here! Here!" Sadie chimed in. Jude smiled at her sister apologetically.

Mrs. Harrison changed the subject as she played with her daughter's hair. "So, the doctor said you can be released tomorrow morning, that way we can take you back home and start your recovery. Maybe do a little home schooling so you can graduate with the rest of the kids in a month."

Jude furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, what do you mean 'back home'? Do you mean my _old_ home? Because I'd be much more at 'home' at Sadie's place."

Jude's parents were surprised by their daughter's words. Mr. Harrison tried to think of something to say. "Well, uh…"

"It's okay guys," came Sadie's friendly voice. "It is technically her home now. And I can make room for you guys to stay at the apartment with us for a week or so. That is, if that's what you want?"

The Harrisons' responded with smiles, which was all Sadie needed. "Okay, why don't you go home to get whatever stuff you need and I'll watch over Jude."

"Alright, dear." Mrs. Harrison kissed both of her daughters on the forehead before walking out of the hospital with her husband.

Jude played with the fringe on the hospital blanket she was wrapped in. "Wow."

"What?"

"It just kind of feels like I'm five and you're babysitting me, that's all. You better not be getting paid for this."

Sadie lightly chuckled at Jude's observation, glad to see her definitive humor was back. "Don't worry. The older you got, the more my rate decreased, so I'm technically not getting much out of this." Sadie got out of her chair to sit at the foot of Jude's bed.

Jude now attempted to make the conversation more serious. "You really don't have to stay, Sadie. I now know that not eating for days is quite painful, and am in no rush to do it again anytime soon…or ever, for that matter." As much as the next words would cause her pain, Jude knew they had to be said to assure Sadie of her sincerity. "Why don't you go see Tommy? The two of you could have some quality alone time, or whatever."

Sadie's eyes darted to the white tiles on the ground. "I don't think that's gonna be happening anytime soon."

Jude was confused. "Why? It's not like you need to watch me 24/7. You should go off and do whatever."

"No. I mean me and Tommy." Jude stared at her older sister, waiting for a clearer explanation. Sadie finally found the courage to say the words she was dreading. "Tommy broke up with me."

So many different feelings coursed through Jude because of those five words. She was disappointed, elated, sad, and hopeful, but most of all, she was bewildered. "What? Why?"

Tears started to form in Sadie's eyes as she spoke. "I don't know. He said something about me lying to him and that he can't trust me." She wiped at the few drops that strayed from her eyes. "But I don't think that's really fair of him, because I didn't do it just to _lie_ to him. I was trying to protect my only sister and he obviously didn't understand that."

Jude felt sympathetic for the situation her sister was put in. "That asshole." She squeezed her sister's hand to show her support. "Fuck guys. Who needs them anyway?"

Tommy paused the movie he was watching to get another orange juice fix. He recently became addicted to the stuff, and he didn't even know why, especially since vodka hadn't even been its companion. The orange juice was refreshing and he needed that sunny, happy feeling to take over in his chest so he wouldn't concentrate too much on the sad feelings that came up when he thought of Jude.

The doorbell rang as Tommy was filling his cup to the brim. He put the juice carton back in the fridge and made a bee line for the front door. Quickly jarring the heavy door open, Tommy was shocked by the person standing on the other side. "Jude?"


	10. Come Together

Chapter 10: Come Together

**I'm SO sorry this took so long. I'm rounding up the last 2 weeks of the semester and I have a lot of business crap to complete so it keeps me uber busy. Plus, this was a particularly interesting chapter to write and it, therefore, involved a fair amount of thought and detail.**

**For the J+T fans out there, this one's for you, although I must warn you that this isn't a happy ending just yet. I have many, many chapters to write. **

**If my fanfic were a school bus, my advice is to endure the whorish bus driver long enough to enjoy the mass spitball fight at the end (that is the dumbest analogy I've ever created). Toodles!**

**Chapter 10: Come Together**

The doorbell rang as Tommy was filling his cup to the brim. He put the juice carton back in the fridge and made a bee line for the front door. Quickly jarring the heavy door open, Tommy was shocked by the person standing on the other side. "Jude?" He leaned his left hand on the edge of the door frame as he took in Jude's unwavering face and crossed arms. "Jude, is everything okay? I mean, hi. How are you?"

Jude rolled her eyes and ducked under Tommy's arm to slip her way into his apartment. Tommy turned his head when he realized Jude wasn't standing in front of him anymore. When he spotted Jude in his living room, she was arbitrarily pacing back and forth until it looked as if she would burst if she kept her mouth shut any longer. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Tommy was surprised by Jude's sudden and unwelcome attack. "I'm sorry. But, what's wrong with _me_? If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who shows up at my home after giving me the silent treatment for almost three weeks." This was true. Since Jude first turned Tommy away that day at the hospital, she had done everything possible to continue avoiding him. Darius had given Jude a temporary leave from recording, which made 'Operation Invisible' a lot easier to enact.

Jude contemplated the best way to cunningly defend herself, but failed miserably in that attempt and, therefore, opted to flip the switch. "That is _so_ not the point right now. I have my reasons for _that_, but your reasons for kicking my sister to the curb aren't worth jack shit!"

"Hold up! Don't assume you know the real cause behind our separation. And what happened between Sadie and I is _none_ of your business." Tommy was having trouble controlling his anger but knew he had no right to really be mad at Jude. "Listen, I'm sorry…I know your sister _is_ your business but I just really don't want to talk about it right now. How are _you_? I haven't seen you since you…the incident. You feeling a lot better now?"

Jude's anger swelled when Tommy's mood suddenly changed to concern, because she thought this was just a tactic of his to avoid the subject. "_I'm_ fine, but Sadie isn't. You've wounded her all because she told a little, white lie for me. It had nothing to do with you! She did it because she cares about me and respects the fact that I didn't want _anyone_ to know about my unsettling past." The more Jude ranted, the more her blood began to boil and pulse madly through her veins. "God! Why do you have to be such a fucking dickhead sometimes? You're just like every other man in this world…if not worse!"

Jude's rage-induced shouting resulted in contorted breaths and a sweeping wave of exhaustion. Tommy noticed this immediately and gently took hold of her arm. "Jude, you're getting flushed. Maybe you should take a short break from belittling me and sit down so you can cool off." Jude was in a bit of a daze as Tommy led her to the couch. "Do you want some water?"

Jude eventually snapped out of her hazy state. "What? No. I don't need anything. Stop babying me and asking me stupid questions. This conversation isn't about me!"

"Yes it is!" Tommy didn't know what came over him. It was as if he couldn't contain the beast inside of him anymore. He needed to tell Jude the truth. "Don't you get it, Jude? Everything I do and everything I think has to do with you."

Jude's incomprehension was blatantly written on her face. She remained silent hoping he would understand that as an indication for further clarification. Tommy proceded. "Ever since I…_we_ kissed that night in the studio, it has become increasingly difficult for me to think of anything, or anyone, else. Sadie _is_, and will only be, a friend."

"Then why did you…"

"I only started dating your sister again because I thought…well, I thought it would help me get my mind off of you." Jude's eyes grew wide at his confession. The thought of Tommy caring so much for her was too preposterous to even consider, though it did sound positively wonderful coming from his lips. She would wait a while before her protests began, just to hear the glorious sound of his sweet nothings. "When you told me that the kiss we shared meant nothing, it was like peeling off a freaking band-aid. But I heard you…and I tried to move on and forget, which is why I asked Sadie out. For a short while, everything seemed normal again. Our friendship was better than it had ever been and I was okay with us being just that."

Jude's breath caught in her throat. Listening to Tommy was like a dream, and it wouldn't have been too surprising to Jude if this all was a dream. It's practically a repeat of the one she had four nights ago. Nevertheless, she continued to listen as if in a trance.

"Jude, that all changed the minute I thought I lost you." Jude opened her mouth to try and steady her breathing. This vivid hallucination was doing peculiar things to her heartbeat. She'd probably wake up in a cold sweat afterwards, but this dream was definitely worth it. "Waiting in that hospital, unsure what had happened to you, was enough to make me realize that…I can't pretend anymore, or try and hide my feelings for you."

Jude's eyes locked with Tommy's in a passionate stare. They were so engrossed in one another that nothing could disrupt their focus at that moment. The stillness of the room lingered for what seemed like minutes, until Tommy made the first move by taking Jude's hands in his and swiftly raising her to her feet. He cupped her soft, ivory cheek. He savored the delicate feel of her warm skin against his hand as his face leisurely made its descent toward hers.

The kiss was so light at first; their lips had barely touched. Tommy then added more pressure, capturing Jude's lips with such ferocity that it was enough to make a girl swoon. The intensity of the moment grew, and Jude came to the conclusion that Tommy's words and present kisses had to be real because her previous dreams had never felt like this. Visualizing kissing Tommy in her sleep didn't create the same sensations that her body was currently experiencing. The reality of it made her come to her senses, and she pushed Tommy away just like she did the first time they kissed…only this time she didn't bolt.

The absence of Jude's touch was agonizing to Tommy. "Don't do this to me again, Jude. What's wrong with this…with us?"

Jude sighed. She had trained herself to mask her feelings when she was young, and even though she knew that she should unveil her true self to Tommy, it didn't mean she wasn't scared shitless about it. But Tommy wasn't going to hide _his_ true feelings anymore, so it was time she stopped too.

"Tommy…what I feel for you…it can't even be put into words." She attempted, though, to find those much needed words. "You…inspire me…and you're the only person that I feel I can truly relate to, but…you also really hurt me when you left six years ago. I mean, you didn't even say goodbye, and all this time I've had it set in my head that it was because you didn't care about me. And I can't really just disregard all these thoughts that have plagued me for _years_."

"Hey…don't, for a second, think that I didn't care. Jude, when I left, it didn't occur to me that I would be hurting you too. At the time, I was selfish and too upset by Sadie's insinuations to consider how other people felt about my leaving. I did miss you…a lot…and I even thought about visiting you a couple years back, but I just felt it would be too late for me to enter your life again. I thought you might have forgotten about me." Jude huffed at that last comment. _If only I could._ "And for what it's worth, I am _so_ sorry, Jude…really, I am. I would never intentionally hurt you because, Jude, I think I'm in…"

"Don't say it!" Jude had a pretty good idea what Tommy was about to say. As much as she had always wanted Tommy to finish those words, now was not the time to say them…especially since he only 'thinks' he means it. Jude didn't have the patience for 'maybes'; she needed a sure thing. She took one step back to further the distance between her and Tommy, but never broke eye contact. "Don't you dare try and seduce me with your sentimental bullshit after you've spent countless nights making love to my sister. I have some dignity, you know." As much as Jude wanted to physical possess that dignity, her eyes refused to obey as they attempted to leak out her emotions.

"What!?" Tommy could not believe what he was hearing. "Okay, for the record, the only thing your sister and I did was sleep in the same bed every once in a while, and also, I'm not trying to 'seduce' you…I'm trying to tell you how I feel about you, but you're making it so goddamn difficult." Tommy stepped closer to Jude and was glad that she didn't move away from him again. "Look, all this 'feelings' stuff is really new for me, but I'm trying, so, give me some slack, okay?"

Tommy wanted a sign that she understood what he attempted to say. Instead, Jude gaped at Tommy. "You never slept with Sadie?"

The question was asked in utter disbelief. Tommy was surprised Jude had assumed their relationship was more than it was, but it did make sense considering the circumstances. "If by 'slept' you mean 'had sex', then no. Sadie told me she sometimes got lonely at night, so I sympathized and stayed with her. One night, Sadie did come onto me but I told her that I wasn't looking for a physical relationship right now."

As if this night hadn't put enough on Jude's shoulders. First, Tommy tells her he has feelings for her, then he passionately kisses her, and then he says he never 'slept' with Sadie. Jude was completely overwhelmed and needed a distraction to process all of this new information. She glanced around Tommy's apartment, doing everything she could to avoid his intense gaze, and that's when she noticed the tall cup of orange juice sitting on the counter.

"I'm thirsty now." And before Tommy could say 'flabbergasted' Jude scuttled her way into the kitchen and began chugging the entire contents of the glass.

After the events and revelations that had recently taken place, Tommy didn't understand why Jude's only response was that she was 'thirsty'. Either her parched throat was in such an awful state that she needed to interrupt their conversation, or it was just an excuse to run away…again. Nevertheless, Tommy decided the best thing for him to do was to be 'Tommy'. "Yeah, you can have my juice," Tommy interjected sarcastically as Jude gulped down every last drop. "Feel free, while you're at it, to take whatever else you want in here."

Jude momentarily thought about his proposal. Considering he was close to confessing that he loved her—though she wasn't entirely sure this was a fact—she did feel more comfortable exposing herself, emotionally, to him. Maybe it was time they started to move forward.

Jude's index finger circled the rim of the glass, all the while staring at it intently. "Okay…I want you." It was spoken at almost a whisper, and Tommy had to second guess himself at her words.

"I'm sorry…what was that?"

Jude finally steered her eyes away from the glass and focused all her effort on Tommy. The compassion in his eyes was so blissfully sweet. She gave up worrying or trying to find excuses to avoid confrontation. Everything she ever wanted was willingly standing in front of her, and she wasn't going to let it get away. Jude placed the glass back on the counter and slowly closed the empty space between her and Tommy, making sure the eye contact was never lost. "I said I want you."

Tommy noticed a change in Jude. She had more confidence in her words and actions, and there was something else about her eyes that he couldn't quite place. Her forwardness intrigued him beyond end, but it also slightly caught him off guard, and he wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Are you sure?"

Jude gave Tommy a puzzling look. "Yes, I'm sure. Are you?"

Tommy mentally slapped himself. He hadn't paid attention to the actual words coming out of his mouth. "Of course! I was just surprised that you…and then after everything that…because I do want…" Tommy briefly silenced himself so he could restructure his thoughts and try to form a more coherent sentence. "What the hell is wrong with me? I'm 23 years old, and yet I sound like a geeky teenager when a beautiful woman tells me she wants me."

Jude giggled then followed her eyes to where her finger was making lazy circles on Tommy's chest. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, nerds turn me on."

Tommy cocked has eyebrow and felt the smirk appear on his face. "Is that so?"

Jude nodded her head with enthusiasm. "Oh yeah, I've always liked those shy, pocket-protector wearing, computer savvy dorks who fantasize about female extra-terrestrials. Do you fit that description?"

"Absolutely." Tommy snaked his arms around Jude's waist, finding comfort in the contact…and the fact that she didn't jump or try to back away. "As a matter of fact, I have every season of Battlestar Galactica in the other room. We can watch a few episodes if you want."

"Tempting…but I think I'll take a rain check on that one." The pair laughed. Their conversation had taken an odd turn, but it definitely helped relieve the tension they were feeling. By the time their laughter subsided, Jude noticed the strong arms that wrapped possessively around her small frame. "So, do you plan on doing something about removing that locked grip you have on me?"

Tommy smiled slightly and gazed adoringly into Jude's eyes. "Nope."

"Good." Jude, surprisingly, felt compelled to make the first move. She slowly slid her palms upward against Tommy's abdomen—which was regrettably concealed by the dingy, blue t-shirt he was wearing (at the moment)—gruelingly making her way toward his chest until, eventually, her fingers intertwined behind his neck.

Tommy then thought she was going to kiss him when her body began inching forward, but Jude managed to surprise him again by doing something else all together. Jude tightened her hold on Tommy and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. Though surprised, Tommy thought he couldn't have been happier in that single moment.

Jude's breath tickled Tommy's skin, and his body tensed with every sigh she made. Once aware of her effect on him, Jude felt brash enough to take things up a notch. She grazed her lips against the exposed skin on his neck. She took delight in the warmth he emitted as she placed hot, wet kisses leading up to his jaw line. Tommy caressed her back lovingly, quickly succumbing to his arousal.

Her delicate kisses reached Tommy's ear, and once there, she whispered softly and seductively, "I still want you."

Tommy's knees attempted to give out on him. He quivered with a want and desire that he had never felt before. His appetite increased when Jude began blowing cool air in his ear. It took all of his willpower to grab Jude's shoulders, take a step back, and look at the beautiful creature before him with an earnest disposition. "Listen, Jude, I don't want you doing anything that you'll regret. I mean we just started something…it's okay to slowdown the pace a little."

"Are you scared, Quincy?" Jude loosened Tommy's hold on her so she could remove her jacket. She discarded the item on the couch closest to her. "I never thought the one and only Tommy Q would have the stamina to turn down an opportunity like this."

"Hey." Tommy hooked his index finger around one of the belt loops on Jude's jeans and yanked her toward him so that their bodies were flushed against one another. "Believe me when I say that I am _not_ turning this down." He seized her lips with such urgency and raw emotion that she couldn't avoid the slight moan that escaped. He pulled away from her slightly, but it was enough to make Jude whimper. "All I'm saying is that if you don't feel you're ready we can…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jude did everything she could to stop him from continuing. "Um, if you were implying what I think you were, I'm afraid I have to tell you that my…uh…virtue has…assailed, so to speak."

Jude's lecturing was so ambiguously worded that Tommy's eyebrows remained in a furrowed state until understanding hit him like a slap in the face. "Oh. I see. Uh, sorry for, you know, assuming that you were…god, I feel like an idiot."

A soft hand pressed to Tommy's cheek, and forced him to look at the person in front of him. "Don't be sorry. It happened about a year and a half ago and is really not something worth remembering, let alone blabbing about to all my friends. Being with you will still be special to me, more so than anything else." Jude thought she saw a slight blush appear in Tommy's cheeks. As adorable as it was, she felt bad for constantly making him feels so uncomfortable. She slid the hand that cupped his cheek down his arm, and eventually interlocked her fingers with his as she began leading him away from the kitchen.

Tommy followed her lead curiously. "Where are you taking me?"

She cocked her head in Tommy's direction and made sure he noticed the deviant look in her eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't guessed by now." She rotated the doorknob to Tommy's bedroom, then gave it a light push, allowing the door to do the rest of the work. The room was fairly dark, save for the glow of the nearby street light that shun vividly through his bedroom windows.

As Tommy followed Jude into the room, he instinctively reached for the light switch to his right. The newfound light highlighted every feature of the bedroom. Jude had never before made it this far into his apartment, so she gave herself a few seconds to scan around and gain a little insight into the personal life of the man of her dreams. It was a comfortably sized master bedroom that exhibited a green motif. Not something you'd see out of an interior design magazine, but it was fairly organized and neat. The various shades of emerald, lime, and viridian gave the room a modern elegance. The oak headboard of his king-sized bed was situated between two windows draped in chartreuse curtains. A chair in the left corner of the room was adorned with assorted green throw pillows.

After taking in the space before her, Jude decided the light was no longer necessary. "Turn the light back off. The street lights provide a better ambiance." Tommy took no time to object. He flipped the switch back to its original position. Their eyes adjusted briefly to the abrupt darkness, which gradually turned into a lackluster glow that enabled them to maneuver their way around the room.

Jude was the first to reach the bed. She sat on the edge and looked up at Tommy with doey eyes. She motioned for Tommy to come closer. Tommy took slow steps toward the blonde belle on his bed, not wanting to rush a single moment. He let his hands rest on the edge of the bed on either side of Jude, his face merely inches away from her own. She got even closer, breathing in his scent, and tenderly nudged her nose against his. Their lips were so close, yet still refused to make contact, as they reveled in the anticipation of the moment. Savoring became unbearable as their impulse to do more began to take over.

"Oh, Tommy." That was it. That was all Tommy needed to devour her completely. He pushed his lips with carnal force onto hers. This kiss was different than the other ones. One, because Tommy knew Jude had _no_ intentions of stopping the activities. Two, because of the way she tasted. He never noticed before how sweet and juicy her lips were. Her lips became his weakness as he zealously sucked and licked them, claiming full ownership.

Jude didn't mind. Tommy's kisses were the ones that made your eyes roll into the back of your head. The two lovebirds would have probably been perfectly content with only indulging themselves in a long and heated make out session, but it was mutually acknowledged that this night would be indicative of the special bond that united them.

Tommy gently picked his head up for air, each hand still clutched tightly to the bed as he hovered over her. Jude smiled genuinely and effortlessly lifted her arms above her head, non-verbally telling Tommy to remove the pale yellow Snoopy shirt she was wearing. He caught on quickly and commanded his fingers to find their way to the hem.

The small t-shirt began its trek up Jude's body at a turtle-like pace; Tommy made sure his fingers grazed the recently exposed skin at her sides. Jude shivered at his touch, but craved the contact like an addiction that needed satisfying. The shirt was lifted over her outstretched arms and tossed onto the floor behind him. His eyes drifted down toward the ripe mounds of flesh that were bound by her coral demi bra.

She didn't give him much time to admire the beauty before him. Her lips pressed hard against his as she began fumbling with his shirt. They broke apart so that Jude could pull the unwanted fabric over his head. She tugged with a little more ferocity than Tommy predicted, which forced his hands to waver from their position on the bed, and soon enough, he fell clumsily on top of her. Tommy felt his cheeks start to flush. He couldn't believe how many times he had killed the mood already tonight, and this little stunt had won the gold medal for embarrassing moments in bed. Tommy tried to hoist himself off of Jude and began thinking of numerous ways to apologize for his 'smooth' moves, but he instantly felt a pair of strong legs trap him in the horizontal position he was in.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going, Quincy?" Her soft, velvety voice was like music to his ears.

"Obviously, nowhere." Tommy smiled and focused his attention on her angelic features. A few strands of hair were haphazardly swept across her forehead. He brought his hand up to her face, and then delicately tucked the blonde locks behind her ear.

Jude could tell what was on Tommy's mind. "I don't expect everything to go perfect. That's the beauty of life. Things _aren't_ the way they're depicted in movies and romance novels."

She grabbed the hand that was resting on her cheek and inspected it thoughtful before gently kissing his callused fingertips. She made her way down to the palm of his hand and lightly sucked on the smooth skin. She then looked back up at Tommy and recognized the lust in his eyes. "It already feels perfect because I get to be with you." Jude immediately averted her gaze when she realized what she said. "God, that sounded a lot cheesier than I thought it…"

Tommy closed any space that was left between them and muffled her words with his lips. Nothing else needed to be said at that moment. Jude grabbed on to Tommy, attempting to pull him closer—though at this point, it seemed physically impossible. Her hands roamed all over his back, wanting desperately to satisfy her hunger. His tongue playfully danced insider her mouth, and Jude felt herself losing control as she let out an unmistakable moan. Tommy lifted his head and stared at Jude with a cocky grin.

"What?" Jude uttered breathlessly.

"Nothing," Tommy began as he struggled to contain his laughter, "that was just _really_ cute."

Jude stared up at him in disbelief. "Oh my god, you are a loser. What, are you intentionally trying to ruin the moment now?"

Tommy hoped he hadn't made her lose interest just yet. "No, I was just saying that I…"

In an effort to swop places with Tommy—a maneuver that should only be attempted by professionals—Jude managed to flip Tommy over and straddle his hips as he laid—shirtless—across the bed. "Enough chit-chit, pal. I'm horny as hell, and neither of us are leaving this bed until my needs are satisfied."

Jude didn't even give him a chance to get another word in. She kissed him savagely and started to unbuckle his jeans. This was the pace Tommy was used to, so he didn't complain. Once the zipper was pulled all the way down, Tommy lifted his hips high enough so Jude could remove his pants. Now Tommy was exposed in front of Jude, save a pair of navy blue boxer briefs.

Jude leaned down to give Tommy a kiss, but left him hanging as she pulled herself onto her feet and stood on the bed. She seductively popped open the button on her jeans and slowly tugged on the zipper. She then pushed the jeans down her hips—exposing her silky, black underwear in the process—and shimmied out of the restrictive clothing.

She went to her previous position, straddling Tommy, and let her hands feel every inch of his chest and well-toned abs. Tommy did some wandering as well, starting his journey at Jude's thighs. He painfully made his way up her legs toward her hips. He then traveled to her stomach, where he traced circles around her belly button. The light touches made her stomach muscles clench.

Soon enough, Tommy's hands roamed further up until they were cupping her well-formed breasts. Jude leaned her head back as Tommy began massaging her breasts through the coral material. Tommy abruptly stopped, which caused Jude to jerk her head back up. She looked at him with pleading eyes.

He removed one of his hands from her breasts and reached around her back for the clasp on her bra. Jude soon understood his intentions but chose to let him do all the dirty work. After ten seconds of fumbling, Tommy had finally managed to undo the metal hooks. He then placed both hands on her shoulders and slid them down her arms, bringing the straps of her bra with him.

The now-removed undergarment rested on top of Tommy's abdomen. He ravished her perfect body with his eyes. She was mesmerizing this way. Tommy glanced up at her face and saw the slight glint of insecurity in her eyes.

"Is everything okay, Jude? I thought you said you've done this before."

Jude let her eyes wander around the room, anything to avoid looking at Tommy. "Oh, I have. I just…" She debated whether or not she should tell him the truth. But after everything they had been through tonight, there was no reason to lie. "I just don't want to disappoint you."

Tommy sat up, his bare chest making contact with hers. "Hey." He forced Jude to look him in the eye. "Nothing you could do would ever disappoint me." He leaned down and kissed her neck tenderly before looking back up at her again. "And you have never looked more beautiful to me than you do right now."

The full-infused passion was back with those simple words, and Tommy and Jude had never wanted each other more than they did in that moment. Their heated kissing had them lost in bliss, and before either had realized it, they were both 'au natural' and comfortably intertwined underneath the silk sheets.

She was ready for him. Ready, in vain, to take him all for herself. He was on the edge. Losing his balance with every touch of her soft, ivory skin. She wrapped her legs around his, giving her consent to continue.

This was it. This was the moment they had both agonizingly wanted for what seemed like an eternity. They gazed into each other's eyes, and Jude felt her breath grow shallow in anticipation. She bit her lip roughly as his engorged member entered her swiftly. She gasped at the sheer sensation of his throbbing penis inside of her. He hadn't even began thrusting yet, and she could feel herself on the verge of a release. She compelled herself to hold out long enough to feel Tommy completely.

Tommy started to make slow, rhythmic movements with his hips. He was a perfect fit for her. It was as if their bodies were designed to connect, like a puzzle piece finding its only match. Tommy bent his head lower so that he could make a trail of kisses from her collar bone to her neck. The combination of his lips on her skin and his erection massaging her core, made Jude moan continuously.

Jude's moans caused vibrations that tingled Tommy's senses as he continued to suck on her neck. His thrusts became erratic, but he wasn't done yet. He now moved into her with more force, and the hand that wasn't supporting his body weight grazed across her body until it found the lower part of her stomach. His hand pressed down gently, while his hips accelerated their pace.

A white, hot heat surged through Jude's body. "Oh my god…" she exclaimed, digging her nails into his shoulders for support. She began bucking her hips upward, needing him more and more every second. Whatever he was doing to her stomach was making her crazy. Her thoughts were clouded and her self-control seemed to have the night off. Tommy was dominating her mind, body, and soul.

Panting grew heavy. Sweat dripped from their slick, naked bodies. Hands were roaming and grabbing at everything they could. With every second, Jude's moans became louder and almost incoherent. Their interlocked forms were close to reaching an exhilarating new height. One final, deep penetration was all it took for Jude to fall into oblivion, and piercingly cry out in ecstasy. The tightening of Jude's inner walls did Tommy in as well.

The next few minutes were spent recovering, trying to find a steady rhythm for their heavy breathing. Tommy eventually pulled himself off of Jude and lay at her side with an arm draped across her flat torso. He smiled widely and slowly shut his eyes to relive the moments that they had just recently shared together.

Tommy felt Jude's stomach suddenly lurch underneath the weight of his arm. The movements were sporadic and unsettling. He opened his eyes and lifted his head off of the pillow to look at Jude's face. Her lips were pouted slightly and her eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. Jude was trying so desperately to hold it in. In an attempt to remedy the situation, Tommy placed a hand on her delicate shoulder.

"Jude, honey, what's wrong?"

Her reserve was weakening. "Nothing." Fresh tears began to slowly ascend down her unblemished cheeks. Tommy was starting to worry.

"Oh, Jude. Please don't cry." His body leaned in closer to hers in a consoling gesture. "Did I say or do something that made you…"

"No, Tommy," she interrupted quickly. "Trust me. You didn't do anything wrong. And the sex was…well, the sex was mind-blowing, in all truthfulness." Jude wiped at her damp cheeks ungracefully. "I just…ugh…let's just say that I've kept a lot of emotions pent up over the years."

Tommy could understand where this was going. "And you've finally found you're release?"

"If you want to put it that way." Jude sighed dramatically. "God, you know I can't honestly remember the last time I cried." Tears were still streaming at an alarming rate. "Possibly when I was 10, and Sadie made me watch _Bambi_ for the first time. That has to be one of the most depressing movies of all-time. I mean, who truly enjoys films where the main character's mother gets killed? Well, unless the mother is evil…which does happen on occasion."

Tommy chuckled. This was what he loved about Jude. She had the ability to make any situation comical. "I think you're trying to avoid the real issue here. You obviously need a good cry so just let it out. Before you know it, it'll be over with."

"Grrr. Whatever." She got out of Tommy's bed and threw on the articles of clothing closest to her—her silk panties and Tommy's faded t-shirt. "If you're making me have this little 'cry fest' then I'm not gonna do it in front of you."

"As you wish." Tommy plopped back down on his pillow and closed his eyes as Jude started to walk out of the room. "Too bad I don't have any Air Supply, 'cause I'm sure that would be great mood music for your 'alone time'."

Tommy faintly heard Jude's voice echo from the other room, "Ooh, that's a good one. You should _definitely_ be a comedian…douche bag." The unquestionable sarcasm just made Tommy laugh. He always felt proud of himself when he was able to push Jude's buttons so easily.

Jude went into the bathroom, finding the confined space comforting. It wasn't too difficult to let the waterworks flow to their full extent. She didn't necessarily feel sad; she just felt like everything inside of her needed to rush out of her body in a gigantic, crashing wave. Her body convulsed and her mind fluttered with memories, memories that were purposely placed in the back of her brain, so that it would be difficult for them to rear their ugly heads. This anxiety-filled, emotional outburst was not an enjoyable experience for Jude, but it was necessary because she knew she'd feel much happier once it was all out in the open.

Jude eventually began settling down a quarter of an hour later. Her heart wasn't racing and her thoughts were uncluttered. She forced herself to smile. Everything was coming together now. She was with Tommy, she was being honest, she just had the best sex of her life, and she felt happier than she had in a while.

Unbeknownst to Jude, a shadow of a doubt lingered in her head. This doubt began to appear in the form of questions. _How long will this happiness last? What if Tommy has to leave me again?_

She didn't want to be thinking these things, but in truth, they were logical questions to consider. Happiness isn't a sure thing if it depends on a single person. Jude stayed in that tiny bathroom for another hour, contemplating the new dilemma before her.

When she felt more confident about her frame of mind, she quietly opened the door and tip-toed out of the bathroom, making her way back to where Tommy was. She found him fast asleep on the bed. He looked peaceful; she wouldn't disturb him now.

She gathered her clothes from last night and began putting them on, careful not to wake Tommy from his slumber. Jude then wrote him a note with the computer paper she found on his desk and placed the note somewhere Tommy would obviously see when he woke up later that morning.

After glancing once more at Tommy's sleeping form, Jude turned around and left his apartment.

Tommy awoke that morning at a sluggish pace. He wasn't a morning person, so this shouldn't be an exception. But then he remembered the events of the previous night, and grinned like a little kid. He rolled over to place an arm over Jude possessively, only to feel the plush mattress beneath him. His eyes fluttered open, and Jude wasn't there.

Tommy sat up and looked around the room, peering out the door to see if Jude might have been somewhere else in his apartment. He couldn't make out any moving shapes, and the whole place was silent. He was fairly confident she had left, but didn't understand why.

He looked back at the spot on his bed that Jude had previously occupied, and that's when he noticed the white sheet of paper. It laid effortlessly still on the pillow adjacent to his. He picked it up to confirm his suspicions. Notes like these only have one thing to say:

_Hope you slept well._

_Meet me at the playground near _

_St. Augustine Elementary after 3pm._

_We need to talk._

_Jude_


	11. Growing Up, Falling Down

Chapter 11: Growing Up (Falling Down)

**So, these past two chapters have been difficult for me to right, and they seemed kind of boring also. This one is really short because I'm kind of having a brain fart. I'm the kind of person that can't stick to one project, I need to multi-task (Hey, has anyone seen that old Red Roof Inn commercial where the guy says "Multi-tasking!" in a sing-song voice…that was funny and I don't know why). **

**So, I decided that in order to clear my head and hopefully be able to continue this story eventually, I'm going to take a short break and start working on a new one. I already have the idea and am almost done mapping it out. It should be awesome because it's a mash-up of Instant Star and a Jane Austen novel (she kicks major feminine ass!). **

**By the time I start working on this one again hopefully it will stop being dull and have more elements of sarcastic Jude…I like sarcasm more than soap opera drama most of the time.**

**Btw, has anyone noticed that all my chapters are song titles? Just curious. Some seem obvious, while others are more obscure.**

**Chapter 11: Growing Up (Falling Down)**

Tommy made sure he met Jude precisely at 3pm. He was afraid he might miss her if he arrived even a minute late. He got out of his viper and moved closer to the playground, immediately noticing his blonde-haired beauty sitting motionless on one of the swings. She looked as if transfixed by something on the ground below her, and her long hair covered her face, making it difficult for Tommy to discover Jude's current mood.

Jude didn't hear Tommy approaching until his heavy steps crunched against the gravel pit. Out of the corner of her eye she could make out a pair of "Rowdy" Graffiti Joggers by unltd. Jude only knew one person arrogant enough to wear shoes that loud. She slowly raised her head to look at Tommy's face, wondering if his features had changed at all since she left his apartment 14 hours ago.

His eyes were slightly sullen; not noticeable enough for any bystander to take into account, but enough for Jude to understand that her note had injured him, and she felt horrible knowing that it wouldn't stop there. She rested her forehead against the chain of the swing she occupied, gazing up at Tommy, wishing her nonverbal cues were all she needed to depend on to communicate with him.

Tommy, however, was not really in the mood to reason with her sad facial expressions. "Alright, let's hear the brilliant excuse you've come up with this time."

"Tommy."

"No, seriously." Tommy began pacing, hands in his jean pockets, everywhere and anywhere in front of the swing set. "Hell, I'll even give it a shot…is it the age difference? I mean, we're like, what, five years apart? Yep, that's definitely incentive enough for a girl to think twice about a relationship."

"Tommy." Jude was starting to get a little pissed at the way he was treating her, though she knew he had every right to be angry with her considering the way she left things.

"Or…maybe it's the publicity. Lord knows the press would have a field day with an artist-producer pairing, so you feel that the best way to avoid a situation of this magnitude is to just quit while you're ahead."

"God damn it, Tommy, you don't know when to stop!" Anger, fear, and sadness coursed throughout her entire body, the gush of emotions forcing her to stand up and start pacing as well. "Before you make any more ridiculous insinuations, it's probably best that you sit down, shut the hell up, and let me explain myself!" Tommy was somewhat intimidated by Jude's tone, so instead of coming up with a retort, he did as he was told.

After clearing her head of all of the frustration she was feeling, Jude suddenly felt bad for yelling at Tommy. He had every right to be mad at her considering the ambiguous wording of her note. It was time to set things straight. No more lying; no more misunderstandings. She took slow steps back toward the swing she rose out of only minutes ago, and sat back down, unable to look at Tommy in her moment of confession.

"There are…things, things that you don't know or understand. Things I didn't realize would be a problem until last night, which is why I left and asked to talk to you here." She felt her hands shaking, and resulted in balling them into fists so the spasms were less noticeable. "The first time I was hospitalized for starving myself, my parents and Sadie were completely dumbfounded, yet terrified at the same time. They didn't know why I would do something so drastic, and were relentless about the cause of my actions. To get them off my back, I just told them it was peer pressure…and mentioned something about the boys at my school."

"Yeah, that's what Sadie told me." Tommy was listening intently now, determined to discover the root of her anxiety.

"That wasn't the truth. No one, other than myself, really knew the truth in the matter." Jude tried to slow her breathing because she could feel her heart racing uncontrollably. "I couldn't tell my own flesh and blood the truth because that would mean I'd have to tell them that I was in love with you, and I hadn't ever prepared myself for how my sister would react to that declaration."

There was a stilled silence for a few seconds. It was almost as if the wind had hushed its daily routine of blowing the trees so it could also hear what Jude had to say. Tommy seemed somewhat disturbed by her answer. "So…are you trying to tell me that _I'm_ the reason you made yourself sick? Because I didn't intend for this all to happen, Jude. If I knew that you felt that way all those years ago, I could have…"

"No, Tommy. Don't beat yourself up over this, because it's not all your fault. I lost control of my emotions, I honestly didn't know what I was doing. I was young and naïve…"

"Yeah, but you developed an eating disorder because I left you without even saying so much as a goodbye." He shot out of the swing like a slingshot and started up his ritualistic pacing. Pacing had become a habit when he was around Jude because he honestly wasn't sure what to think or say anymore.

"Tommy, what did I just tell you? It's not your fault."

"Yes it is, because I could have prevented it." A painful sense of guilt crept up in his throat, making it difficult to swallow. "I probably caused your relapse too by dating your sister again." Jude just looked off into the distance and refused to respond to his assertion. Though it was basically true, she didn't want to have to tell him that. It didn't matter anyway, because he understood her answer by noticing her distant look.

Tommy knelt down in front of Jude seized Jude's hands possessively. "Jude, I can't begin to describe how truly sorry I am. I never wanted to hurt you. I only dated her again because I thought it would help get my mind off of you, but it obviously didn't work." He placed a hand on her soft cheek. "I love you, Jude. If you just give me a chance, I know I can more than make up for any pain I've caused you in the past."

Jude loved this side of Tommy. He was like the Tommy in her dreams, only better. His endearing thoughtfulness made her want to succumb to his pleading, but determination allowed her to prevent what could possibly become one of the biggest mistakes she would ever make.

She reached up for the hand that rested against her cheek and gently brought his knuckles up to her lips, kissing them softly and sensually. "Tommy, I love you too, but we can't be together…at least, not right now." She then proceeded to place his hand back by his side, away from anymore physical contact with her.

Tommy stood back up, looking at Jude incredulously. "No, see you've got it all wrong. When two people say that they love each other, it means they're supposed to be together. So why don't you just let things run their course, you know, the way they're supposed to."

"Tommy, if we start a relationship now we'll just end up destroying each other." His eyes squinted in confusion, so Jude willingly elaborated. "Our lives are public considering your status in the entertainment industry, and more so now that my first single has hit the airwaves." Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, intended for Jude's notice. "There's also…" Jude couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence; she fidgeted uncomfortable, incessantly digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands to keep from bursting. She never thought in her wildest dreams that terms would have to come to this. She hated when she had to listen to the rational thoughts that floated inside her head.

Tommy prodded her to continue. He was somewhat curious to see if her reasoning had the potential to make sense in his mind. If it didn't, he'd have to live miserably, knowing that for some stupid reason he couldn't have Jude. "There's also what? What else is keeping you from being with me, Jude?"

She felt like crying, like breaking down and giving into him. He was her only, and yet she currently found herself sitting in the middle of a school playground, attempting to peacefully discontinue their relationship. This was D-Day for Jude. A day she would constantly think about and regret, but would secretly understand, in the back of her mind, that it was the right thing to do.

Tommy waited with bated breath as Jude found the courage to continue. "Well, there's always the chance that…" Jude needed to make sure she used her words delicately in this situation. "Tommy, I'm not the most patient and forgiving person. I overreact, I always focus on the worst part of any situation, and I have lived so many years of my life in sadness because I my mind was wrapped in thoughts of you."

Tommy made a start to console Jude, wanting to tell her that he was here for her now, but Jude had to finish what she had to say without any interjections. She raised a hand in his direction to plead with him to let her finish first. He obeyed without hesitation; she had a mysterious power over him. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm irrational when I'm around you…whether I like it or not. And if something were to happen in the future, something that I may have trouble forgiving you for…well, I'm not sure how I'll be able to deal with losing you again."

It was as if she was speaking in code, like she always did when she was with her sister. But this time, she was trying to explain something to Tommy, and he just didn't get it. He played her words over and over again in his brain, until finally a connection was made. His eyes grew wide in shock. "Jude I have told you already that I love you and I would _never_ do _anything_ to hurt you." Tommy felt almost hurt by Jude's insinuations. She obviously still didn't believe he truly loved her, otherwise she wouldn't believe that he might possible do something in the future to compromise their relationship.

"Not intentionally, of course. I know you wouldn't hurt me on your own will." Now Tommy really was confused. _What does she think is going to happen?_ Jude could visibly see the confounded lines etched on his forehead. "Neither of us truly know what's going to happen in the next few months, let alone five minutes from now. Accidents happen, mistakes are made, and we usually don't expect it…nor can we even plan for it."

Jude got up from the swing. Tommy was still at her feet, so she grabbed his hands to help him up as well. She placed a hand on his warm cheek. It was rough. He was probably too frazzled from her letter this morning to even think of shaving off his 5 o'clock shadow. It didn't matter; she liked it all the same. Jude smiled and kissed the cheek her hand had occupied mere seconds ago.

Tommy didn't know whether Jude was trying to say something with these loving gestures. He wouldn't dream of pushing her away, but his body remained rigid and indifferent because he didn't know how to handle her mixed signals. Jude looked up into his eyes, not willing anything to tear her from her gaze. "You know, I'm still trying to get used to the idea of you actually _wanting_ to be with me. It's so surreal and bizarre and…I just don't want to ruin this perfect thing we could have by jumping into this relationship so quickly."

Tommy wrapped his arms tightly around Jude's tiny waist. He was finally starting to understand Jude's view of their situation. They were both still young, especially Jude, and had plenty of time to carry on their romance in the future. They would be naïve if they expected to become the ideal couple that had no worries or troubles to disrupt their love. And Jude was right. Things happen, and not everyone is expected to be so understanding when on the other side of the spectrum. "So, what you're saying is that we should wait."

"Of course, Quincy." Jude fell into his embrace, her cheek resting against his chest. "I could never give you up completely." The pair held each other in silence, immersed in warmth and bliss, even if it was only for a few solitary moments. As a thought came to Jude, she leaned out of his arms to stare up at him again. "After all, you did break up with my sister only days ago. I'm not sure how she would handle us being an 'us' so suddenly."

Tommy smiled in agreement. "Touché." He tilted his head and inched closer to hers, hoping for one last kiss before they had to go back to being just friends. Jude wasn't one to deny Tommy something that he wanted, especially if it happened to be her lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation. Just as his lips were about to make their initial descent onto hers, a bell rang. Jude turned her head in response to the sound, causing Tommy to forcefully crash into her cheek.

"What was that? A fire alarm?"

"It's probably nothing." He used his forefinger and thumb to turn her head toward him. "Now, where were we?" Jude smiled like a schoolgirl at his obvious hunger. _Schoolgirl? School?_ Jude turned her head again to focus on the elementary school 50 feet away. As if on cue, many of the exits in the school simultaneously opened in haste. An abundance of children in uniform, ranging from 7-11 years old, pounded the pavement in a hurry toward their destination, be it bus or car. It was clear that some kids were making their way toward the playground, probably to pass the time until their parents came to pick them up.

"Tommy, I think this is our cue to leave." She loosened the hold he had on her, and grabbed his hand, forcing him to walk in the direction toward their cars.

Tommy groaned. "Of course school has to let out right as I get you to succumb to me."

Jude halted her steps. She turned around and punched him hard in the arm. "You know, just for that, these lips are officially sealed." She continued to walk and added a "no smooch for you" in her best Soup Nazi impersonation. Tommy followed closely behind. He started whistling "Cruella De Vil", hoping to intentionally piss Jude off. "Wow, you really want to get on my bad side don't you?" She turned her head so Tommy could see her stick out her tongue at him.

Tommy just laughed. He thought it was cute the way her face scrunched up when she wanted to act like a kid. His conversation with Jude was better than he thought it was going to be. Even though they wouldn't be together 'technically', their future did look bright. They both loved each other unconditionally and that's all that mattered. It shouldn't be too difficult to resist the urge to kiss Jude once in a while.

Boy was he in for a rude awakening.


	12. Castles Made of Sand

Chapter 12: Castles Made of Sand

**It's homecoming at my school, and since I'm an RA, that means I'm glued to my building for an entire weekend. I haven't been out in the fresh air since Thursday afternoon. Anywhatsit, I decided to go back to my first story and write a quick chappy. It's not too long, but it's something. Later peeps.**

**Chapter 12: Castles Made of Sand**

Finally, things were returning to normalcy…but, then again, what's normal? It's normal for Sadie to mope around about Tommy for a week, until she's latched onto her new flavor….which happened to be Kwest (go figure). It's also normal for Speed, Kyle, and Wally to buy a box full of orange traffic cones and reroute 9th street. But what was normal for Jude and Tommy Q?

For Jude, it was easy enough to jump back into what they considered 'friends' mode. She had, after all, trained herself for years to look at, and especially only think of Tommy as her pal and music confidant, convincing herself and those around her that Tommy's absence hadn't been like salt on an open wound. She had meticulously lived the past seven years of her life as a lie, the continuous practice only making her an expert in her field, which is why she didn't see any harm in continuing the charade for just a little while longer.

Tommy, on the other hand, found himself treading on new and unsteady ground. One wrong step and he could tumble into a never-ending existence.

"Okay, now go back to the chorus." Jude rested her feet on the edge of the soundboard as she sat back in her chair lazily, deep in thought. Her current lack of songwriting inspiration had forced Jude to find other means of making good use of free studio time, opting to edit those songs already recorded. In usual Jude Harrison fashion, she managed to rope Tommy along for the ride.

Not one to easily give into her demands or idly ignore the relentless behavior she often exhumed, Tommy continued to make his protests known to the drained blonde next to him. "Jude, for the umpteenth time, the song is flawless. I can't find a single thing wrong with the chorus…or any other part, for that matter."

Jude glanced at Tommy disapprovingly. "Well, then you're obviously not that great of a producer. Besides, there's no such thing as a flawless song."

"Is that the ugly head of insolence trying to make its way toward the surface?"

She waved off his insult as if calling her 'insolent' was a common term of endearment. "That's actually what we 'musicians' call perfectionism. It's an unfortunate habit that requires much time and effort, but being a perfectionist, I find, is one of my better traits."

Tommy looked over at Jude, suddenly wanting to take in everything that she was at that moment. She looked tired—most likely due to the impending sunrise--and yet her beautiful features radiated more than ever against the dull studio lights. "I won't argue with you there. You are perfect."

An uneasy feeling swept over Jude as she felt Tommy's eyes lingering on her. Now was not the time to look. Just because she couldn't be with him right now, it didn't mean she wouldn't completely come undone the moment she saw the love and desire in his eyes. Now was definitely not the time to look. "That's not what I said."

She was all too ready for this conversation to hit a dead end, and made the initiative herself by switching gears. Without being remotely considerate of Tommy's sensitivity toward the soundboard (and his overstated rule about never touching it), Jude swiftly leapt out of her chair and crossed in front of Tommy to push the playback button. She was back in her chair and tapping her foot to the intro of "Waste My Time" before Tommy had time to really process what had happened.

Once realization did set in, his eyes seemed to pop out of his head like a cartoon character. He constantly shifted his gaze from the soundboard to Jude, who was now glowing with amusement. "Uh…I'm sorry, did I miss something here? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I told you never to put your greedy little paws on my equipment."

"Okay, I'm not 'greedy', I'm just doing the job you're supposed to do since you're too busy arguing to actually do it. And last time I checked, this was not 'your' equipment. It belongs to GMajor, you whiney little brat." Jude stared Tommy down, daring him to come back with a retort.

Tommy smirked at Jude, her sassy comebacks a clear turn on as his anger began to subside. "Don't start with me, big eyes. You know this soundboard wouldn't live up to its full potential if my hands weren't doing all the magic."

Jude snorted, not caring if it sounded unattractive at the current moment. "You better have something to match that enormous ego of yours; otherwise people will just think you're hormonally unbalanced."

"Oh, I'd like to think I've got something…"

Jude kicked Tommy in the shin to impede his chances of finishing what seemed to be a very inappropriate comeback. "Shh! I'm trying to listen; I need silence and concentration." They sat quietly for a couple of seconds, drinking in and focusing on the music that reverberated throughout the room. "Besides, I'm not in the mood to hear about you and your 'enormously' dirty mind."

Tommy was amused, knowing she was not one to let conversations of this nature go unfinished. This just spurred on his need to get inside Jude's head. He leaned in close to Jude, his hot breath resting against her ear. "Then, how about I get you in the mood?" His words and low voice caused visible shivers to shoot throughout Jude's body.

Tommy had noticed her reaction, and she knew it. Old Jude would spit out ridiculous excuses like the cold air or that she tends to shiver when she's tired, but new Jude understood Tommy's intentions, and refused to give him yet another reason to gloat about his affect on her. "Are we still talking about your ego, or is your mind focused on the 'enormity' of something else?"

Tommy smiled slyly, wondering if Jude realized what she just admitted. "Well, I'm glad you think so highly of it. You do have first hand experience, after all, on the subject."

Jude felt her cheeks instantly flush, unprepared for where this playful banter seemed to be heading. She dug herself into a hole, and the opportunities to climb out were running thin. "Now that I think about it, the song sounds fine. I'm getting tired so I'm gonna head out." She practically jumped out of her chair to retrieve her things, fumbling to quickly untangle the strap of her purse.

It didn't go unnoticed by Tommy that Jude was uncomfortable and in a state of panic. He knew he wasn't supposed to make any moves on her until she was ready for a commitment, but being around her always made it so difficult for him. Tommy sighed and rose out of his chair to be at Jude's level. "Jude, you don't have to leave. I went too far, and I'm sorry."

She halted her rushed pursuit towards an exit and stared fixedly at the ground. "I understand that you just get caught up in it all, but you have to understand that it's hard for me too." She met his gaze, hoping she wouldn't break.

"I know all too well how that feels."

Jude immediately realized the implications of his words and practically shrieked. "Geez, Tommy! Can you keep it in your pants for just one second?"

"Okay. Okay. So, maybe that was slightly out of line, but…" He couldn't find the right words he was searching for, other than the truth. "Actually, you know what? I don't need to explain myself. This is ridiculous, Jude. You know it and I know it."

"Know what? That you have a hyper-active sexual drive?"

"That there's no use fighting it." Tommy looked deeply into her eyes as she remained silent, and grabbed her softly by the waist. "I want you, Jude, and I think I'm not far off when I say that you feel the same."

Jude pushed Tommy away from her, releasing herself from his grip. "Why are you doing this, Tommy?" She quickly turned around to avoid his gaze and catch her breath. His eyes said it all, and she couldn't deal with the overwhelming sensations looking in them caused. "I mean, did you not listen to a word I said? You told me you were okay with how things had to be."

"I was lying to you and myself. I thought I could handle it, but I can't." She had now distanced herself from Tommy, her back still acting as a brick wall between him. He tried to read her body signals, sensing fear and confusion, but mostly he could tell she was grounded, unwilling to negotiate the topic any further. Why did she have to be so stubborn and adamant in her convictions? Why was she so intent on fighting to win the battle, only to know she'd lose the war in the end?

His approach was now useless against Jude, but that didn't mean he should wave the white flag of surrender. So, what else could he do in this situation, but up his game and try to loosen her inhibitions?

He slowly walked up behind Jude, being so quiet and careful with his steps that she didn't even sense his presence until his breath began to tickle her slender neck. A wave of blissful sensations coursed through her skin as she relished in his proximity. Tommy reached up and let the back of his fingers lightly graze the length of her arm, all the way down to her wrist. He could feel goose bumps rising on her skin as he painstakingly made his way back up, passing her shoulders and letting his fingers dance along her collarbone.

Jude instinctively leaned her head to the side, giving Tommy better accessibility. Tommy took this as his cue to devour the soft skin that was exposed. He sucked delicately where her neck met her shoulder, and he knew Jude was enjoying it as much as he was. He didn't waste time, moving his other hand down her side and over to the top of her pants. As he slid his hand further down over the rough denim, a soft moan accidentally moved passed her lips.

Tommy smiled in satisfaction, because it was the sign he was hoping for; one that let him know she still needed him and would succumb in a heartbeat. "See, Jude." His whisper felt good against her ear. "You can't resist this, and you can't resist me."

Jude wasn't sure if it was his words or her conscience suddenly kicking in at that moment, but as good as she was feeling, she was still prepared to end it all abruptly. Grabbing his wrist before he could further his pursuits, Jude pulled away from him, turning around in the process. The ever present sexual tension fueled her anger on as she focused on the confused man in front of her. "As much as I want you, Tommy, I at least have the talent to resist that temptation; a temptation that I don't want to toy with right now."

She felt her confidence come back as she reached for her coat and purse, again. Before leaving the studio, Jude turned around to face Tommy once more. She artfully grinned at him. "And if worse comes to worse, a vibrator really can become a girl's best friend."

And she left. More accurately, he had let her leave. It was all his fault, and he regretted pushing her away so far.

But maybe he didn't have any other options. He acted this way because his feelings for her were so strong. Going from lovers to friends with Jude was one of the most demanding things he'd ever done. How did she make it look so easy? More importantly, what made her think an electronic device could accurately replace him? That was just a load of nonsense, something he needed to correct her on.

At this point, the only thing running through Tommy's head was that he wouldn't give up on her. He refused. Her frigid behavior this evening was a result of poor planning on his part. He would get her back…he just needed to figure out how.


End file.
